Theย Buffalo Billsย suffered a major loss in their linebacking group whenย Matt Milanoย went down with an injury during training camp, but one new report suggests they could find some help ahead of the upcoming NFL trade deadline.
Pro Football Focus writer Bradley Lockerย created a group of โfairytale tradesโ ahead of the upcoming deadline, suggesting the Bills could targetย Cleveland Brownsย linebackerย Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. The Bills have already made one deal with the Browns, landing wide receiver Amari Cooper, and Locker believes they could deal again to address the defensive side of the ball with the Pro Bowl linebacker.
Bills Would Address Major Need
Locker noted that the 25-year-old Owusu-Koramoah has โblossomed into one of the better linebackers in footballโ and earned the fourth-highest PFF grade (86.6) among linebackers with 100 or more snaps this year. He also boasts a 92.4 run grade, which Locker noted is a career high.
The Bills could use some reinforcement at linebacker, Locker added.
Buffalo added Cooper to its previously unimpressive receiving room, but holes still exist at positions like linebacker,โ Locker wrote. โWithout star Matt Milano, Buffaloโs linebackers have posted a 53.4 overall grade, which ranks 28th. The teamโs highest-graded linebacker isย Dorian Williams at a very pedestrian 65.0 overall mark.โ
The Bills have been banged up in their linebacking corps, with Terrel Bernard suffering an ankle injury in the teamโs win over the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 20. He was listed as day-to-day this week, whichย SI.comโs Kyle Silagyiย noted is a bad sign for next weekโs game against the Seattle Seahawks.
He attempted to return [in Sundayโs game] but was ultimately ruled out; though the ailment is playing a role in the linebackerโs absence, McDermott also stated that he was excused for personal reasons, mentioning that his injury is viewed as a โday-to-dayโ knock, Silagyi wrote. โThe third-year defender recently returned from a pectoral strain and has been incredibly impactful when active this season, so his day-to-day designation is encouraging.โ
Bills Could Plan More Trade Moves
The Bills already made a splash by adding Cooper, who caught a touchdown in his first game less than a week after joining the team, and have hinted that more moves could be coming. General manager Brandon Beane signaled that the team would remain active in looking for players, not content to think of 2024 as a rebuilding year after some key offseason losses.
โWeโre still all-in,โ Beane said, via Pro Football Talk. โIf this didnโt happen, if Cleveland was not ready to do it, we were going to continue to monitor. And listen: Weโve still got a few weeks until the trade deadline. If we feel thereโs something else that we need or can get us over the top, we have been all-in all along. I know we lost some names this offseason, some guys who have been captains, it was an offseason of transition, but the mindset here as long as Josh Allen is our quarterback is weโre gonna try and win this thing, and weโre going to do what we can every single year.โ
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