The Buffalo Bills have been contenders for six consecutive seasons, and are hoping to repeat for year seven. It's the team that recognizes it's issues and makes the move to correct them that stays competitive - Something that the Bills have done well since Brandon Beane took over as general manager.
A conscious awareness of the Bills' flaws and projection is critical to the job, and history shows Beane is unafraid to make the mid-season trade when necessary.
Trade deadline history shows us Bills could make a move
2017 - Bills trade DT Marcell Dareus, acquire Kelvin Benjamin
The Bills were 4-2 in 2017 when Brandon Beane made his first midseason move. Buffalo was in it's first season under new management and the rebuild had just begun. They moved on from the expensive Marcell Dareus to get cheaper as part of that goal, securing a 5th round pick in return.
Kelvin Benjamin was the next move, just three days later, after Buffalo moved to 5-2 by beating the Oakland Raiders. They sent a 3rd and a 7th round pick to Carolina for the wideout, hoping to set the stage comfortably for an incoming rookie QB. The two deadline trades were about the franchise, not the season. Still, getting Benjamin would play a role in Buffalo's Wild Card round appearance that year.
2018 - Trading OL Marshall Newhouse
Beane has always had a penchant for moving bottom-roster players for late-round draft capital, and he kept that trend rolling here. In moving on from the veteran tackle Marshall Newhouse, they added a 7th round pick. The Buffalo Bills were 1-2 at the time, coming off Josh Allen's first career win, and clearly did not have the playoffs in their sights.
2019 - Moving on from Zay Jones
The Buffalo Bills were 4-1 in 2019 when they made the call to trade Zay Jones to the Oakland Raiders for a 5th round draft pick. Typically, Brandon Beane isn't the type to shed talent during winning seasons; Zay Jones is an exception.
Following some off the field incidents, and his struggles to contribute whilst on the field, moving on from Zay benefitted Buffalo in the long run. Beane and McDermott had earned their tenure at this point, and getting capital to keep loading up was necessary.
2020 - No Moves
In 2020, Josh Allen exploded onto the scene, taking the NFL by storm. There was no urgent need to make a trade as the offense was cruising at all levels and the defense was playing some of the best we've ever seen. The Bills were new, incredible, and let the deadline pass them by with a cool 6-2 record.
2021 - No Moves
Now, things weren't perfect in 2020 and 2021, but they were good enough that the team wasn't willing to shed talent, nor had a glaring hole that needed fixing. The run game was effective, Josh Allen was proving 2020 wasn't a blip, and the defense was still excellent outside some pass-rush issues. Buffalo was 6-2 once again. November 2nd came and went with no trades by Brandon Beane.
2022 - Traded Zack Moss for Nyheim Hines, added Dean Marlowe
Brandon Beane saw the flaws in the team in 2022, and acted on them. Zack Moss was not successful in Buffalo, but he did give the Bills ammunition to trade for Nyheim Hines. The team had struggled on punts and kickoffs all season; Adding Hines gave them better field position consistently, including a two-touchdown return game from Hines to end the season and secure Buffalo the #2 seed over the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Buffalo Bills were 6-1 and still the team was ambitious, looking to improve.
The trades didn't stop there. Beane sent a 7th round pick to the Falcons for safety Dean Marlowe. The Bills had been having issues with their safeties all year, from injuries to simple poor play. They needed depth, and Marlowe was cheap and knew the playbook already. Marlowe ended up getting on the field often, including two playoff starts.
2023 - Acquired Rasul Douglas
In 2023, the Bills had a cornerback problem, much like they do now. They were competitive despite that, sitting at 5-3 heading into the trade deadline, but needed to make a move. Brandon Beane opted to shed a 3rd round pick in exchange for Rasul Douglas and a 5th round selection from the Green Bay Packers.
Douglas was a smash hit, taking away parts of the field and giving Christian Benford the support he needed as he developed into the Bills CB1. Douglas gave Buffalo a season and a half of play ranging from elite to decent, and was a critical move.
2024 - Move for Amari Cooper
The Bills needed a man-beater in 2024, someone who could simply 'get open'. Their receiving core, definitively the worst of the 2020s Bills, was not offering much to Allen during his MVP season. After narrowly escaping the New York Jets to go 4-2 and avoid a three-game skid, changes had to be made. Brandon Beane sent a 3rd round pick and a 7th round pick to the Cleveland Browns for Amari Cooper and a 6th round selection.
It paid dividends quickly. Though Cooper never blew us away, he did provide a set of skills unique on the roster, and it elevated the offense on several downs and drives. Following the trade the Bills rattled off six wins, scoring 30+ in each, to ride a streak of seven wins to a 10-2 record.
Brandon Beane is unafraid to deal
The Buffalo Bills will get founded criticism from all angles, one issue they don't struggle with is aggression. They go in at the deadline as often as any team in the NFL, and find ways to meet their needs via trade quite often. This is not a perfect team but, surely enough, Brandon Beane will be making calls, trying to fix it.