The Buffalo Bills have some hope that their pass-rushing unit will be more productive in 2026, though it’s far from a certainty. Greg Rousseau returns as the team’s leading sack artist, though he had just seven. Bradley Chubb steps in opposite him, but his injury history isn’t something Bills Mafia can simply overlook.
Even with Michael Hoecht set to return to the lineup next season, Bills fans have every reason to look at the edge position as a glaring need on the roster. The fact is, they need more production in affecting opposing quarterbacks.
That was one of the first things both head coach Joe Brady and defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard pushed to the forefront as a defining feature of their vision for the franchise under their direction.
If the Bills find early in the season that their efforts in bringing that vision to reality aren’t quickly met, the answer to their pass-rush woes might be waiting for them by mid-season ahead of the regular-season trade deadline.
Buffalo Bills could revisit Myles Garrett trade pursuit if pass rush struggles persist
Sports Illustrated’s Connor Orr recently looked at 12 possible trade destinations for Myles Garrett, in which the Bills were included. Of course, Bills fans who are keeping up with Garrett’s restructured contract know that while it makes it easier for a team to pull off a trade for the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Cleveland likely isn’t going to budge this offseason. ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed as much on Thursday.
However, this trade rumbling with Garrett has persisted for some time. He publicly asked for a trade before getting his bank-breaking contract last season. But the Browns have made little headway in solving their competitive issues that played such a heavy role in Garrett’s trade request in the first place.
In the same breath, the Bills aren’t trading for Garrett this offseason, even if he were openly available. It’d take too much capital and resources that general manager Brandon Beane cannot confidently part with.
That said, who’s to say Garrett’s trade storyline doesn’t crescendo ahead of the trade deadline? And who’s to say that Buffalo won’t get more lackluster results from their own pass rush? It’s not exactly an unlikely scenario, all things considered.
What would it take? A first-round pick and Greg Rousseau, at the very least and almost assuredly more. Right now, that seems unreasonable to pull off. In Week 8, when the Browns are 2-6 and the Bills don’t have a player with more than 2.5 sacks? Much more reasonable.
Trading for Garrett would be an incredibly aggressive mid-season move, but it’s the kind that gets rave reviews and, much more importantly, has real on-field ramifications that instantly boost Buffalo’s championship chances. That said, the Bills’ best chance to strike a deal for Garrett is during the 2026 season, when he’d be happy to fill that missing defensive piece in Buffalo to get his and the franchise’s best shot at hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.