Since Brandon Beane took over as the general manager for the Buffalo Bills, there have been a great amount of highs and lows throughout his tenure. When he first started, he helped clean up the roster in 2017 and in less than a year, he ultimately landed the Bills a franchise quarterback in Josh Allen.
In addition, he has made a ton of great moves that have helped the Bills become contenders. At the same time, he has also given out questionable contracts to players that didn’t deserve it and has let talent slip by him. He’s not perfect, but as of lately, he’s been taking on a lot of heat from the media and fans because of the current state of the roster.
When Sean McDermott was fired in January, there were a ton of fans who thought that maybe Beane should have been the one out the door, or atleast went with McDermott. Instead, he got a promotion to President of Football Operations. Now, it’s time for him to prove that Terry Pegula made the right decision.
The Bills are going to have to find ways to be impactful in both free agency and the draft. When it comes to the draft, Beane has to deliver a strong draft class and that could involve doing something that the Bills typically don’t do.
Bills facing great pressure to trade up in 2026 NFL Draft
Gary Davenport from Bleacher Report listed the Bills as one of the six teams that “should be trying to trade up in the 2026 NFL Draft” and it’s very fair to put the Bills on this list, considering that they have a big need at wide receiver to fill.
"Buffalo's need at the position is so great, in fact, that Beane should give serious thought to leveraging a Day 2 pick to draft an even higher-ranked prospect at the position. Ohio State's Carnell Tate may be too pricey, but it's possible 2025 Biletnikoff Award winner Makai Lemon, who may be the most NFL-ready receiver in the class, could be in play." said Davenport.
Since Beane has been the GM, he has traded up for four players; QB Josh Allen, LB Tremain Edmunds, CB Kaiir Elam, and TE Dalton Kincaid. No receivers listed at all. In fact, he traded back twice in 2024, where the teams that traded with them to move up drafted receivers themselves. Buffalo would eventually draft Coleman in the second round.
Long story short, the Bills haven’t traded up for a wideout and this year could very well be the year (assuming that the pick isn’t traded for a proven veteran).
Khalil Shakir is a solid slot receiver, but he’s not a No. 1. Joshua Palmer failed in his first season with the Bills, whether it was because of injuries or lack of production. Elijah Moore was released in the middle of the season. Keon Coleman regressed, and Brandin Cooks was a late season addition who had trouble at first fitting into the offense.
Enough is enough.
It’s time for the Bills to get Josh Allen a true No. 1 wideout, whether it’s in free agency or the draft. There aren’t a ton of prime years left in Allen’s career, and if the Bills don’t even reach the Super Bowl with him under center, the Bills are going to get laughed at for years to come.