Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane has his work cut out for him this offseason, feeling the pressure from Bills Mafia to make a big splash at wide receiver while also having to juggle a rebuilding effort on defense with Jim Leonhard’s new 3-4 scheme.
In that respect, Buffalo’s most glaring needs are at edge rusher, linebacker and the interior defensive line. Still, with 14 defenders set to hit free agency, and no need to keep them all with the scheme change and a tight cap budget, a low-key need for Buffalo’s defense is in the backend of the secondary at safety.
With Cole Bishop’s versatility to play as a deep center-field-style free safety or up closer to the box, Beane has some freedom in how he addresses the need. Thanks to a lowly AFC East rival, the Bills may have just gotten the signal on how best to address the position.
Buffalo Bills named among potential suitors for Dolphins FS Minkah Fitzpatrick via trade
On Wednesday, ESPN analysts Dan Graziano and Ben Solak listed the top 15 players from around the league who could be dealt in a trade, matching team fits alongside each player and the likelihood the player could be traded. With a 65% chance to be traded, the duo suggested the Bills, as well as the Dallas Cowboys, as a potential landing spot for Miami Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Fitzpatrick has one year left on his two-year, $33.1 million deal, which he signed after being traded back to the team that drafted him in the first round after six seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he made his mark as one of the best free safeties in the entire league.
Of course, those elite days are well behind him. The Steelers traded Fitzpatrick last offseason because his production had begun to dip drastically. While he didn’t exactly return to form in 2025, he did pick up an interception, deflected six passes, and racked up 82 tackles and his first career sack last season. He was also stronger in coverage for Miami, allowing just 63% of passes in his coverage area to be completed for less than 300 yards while surrendering two touchdowns, half as many as his final season with the Steelers.
For Buffalo, an inter-division trade is always a difficult thing to project as even somewhat likely. The Dolphins, as Graziano pointed out, will likely have to eat some of Fitzpatrick’s contract to even get a team to agree to a trade for the 29-year-old, who is clearly past his prime, and it’s hard to imagine they’d be so willing to do so for a division rival like Buffalo.
Nonetheless, the fit is there if the Bills feel they have a shot of getting him. Fitzpatrick does his best work as a roaming center-fielder who can quickly come up and stuff the run as a last line of defense. For all his faults in recent years, Fitzpatrick is still an elite tackler, and his leadership traits have long been praised, both in Pittsburgh and Miami. There’s value in that for the Bills' defense, where Bishop can move down into a strong safety role.
The safety room in Buffalo is a bit of a toss-up heading into the offseason. Taylor Rapp has played well when available, and his versatility can still be useful in Leonhard’s defense, much like Bishop’s. Still, Jordan Poyer is expected to retire, Damar Hamlin would be justified in hitting free agency to find a landing spot where he can compete for a starting position, and Darnell Savage didn’t do much in his short time with the franchise last season.
While Graziano believes there’s a high chance Fitzpatrick is dealt, even if there’s a mutual fit in Buffalo, it’s tough to see a trade between the two coming through. Still, landing a talent like Fitzpatrick, if the price is right all around, could make Beane’s job of putting this new defense together considerably easier.