Buffalo May Have to Consider a Slight Overpay for a No. 1 WR
Fresh off their dominant 40-9 win over the Carolina Panthers, the Buffalo Bills are back to their winning ways, but something didn’t seem quite right with the offense.
Star running back James Cook rushed for a career-high 216 yards and two touchdowns, but quarterback Josh Allen admittedly struggled to find a rhythm.
Michael Gallagher of BillsRoundtable and Anthony Moeglin of Roundtable Sports break down the Bills' Week 9 win over the Panthers, plus they dive into potential trades for wide receivers A.J. Brown and Brian Thomas Jr. and preview Sunday’s big Week 9 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes plus a few other topics on the latest episode of the BillsRoundtable podcast.
The full podcast is below.
Buffalo had 23 first downs, 410 yards total offense, zero turnovers, and dominated time of possession against the Panthers, and yet, the offense didn’t seem to be flowing like it normally does.
Allen only 163 yards passing and one touchdown—though he did have two TDs on the ground—but this was his third game out of seven this season with 180 yards passing or less.
With Keon Coleman struggling as much as he is (just ask Steve Smith), perhaps it's time for the Bills to go all-in on acquiring a true No. 1 wideout.
The Bills have been linked to both Brown and Thomas Jr. in recent weeks, so which one is worth paying the expectedly high price to acquire?
If I’m Brandon Beane, I’m offering a 2026 second-rounder, a 2027 third-rounder and Keon Coleman for Brown and seeing if Howie Roseman bites.
If I’m Beane and going after Thomas Jr. — a 23-year-old 6-foot-2 receiver coming off a 1,282-yard, 87-catch, 10-touchdown rookie season — I’m offering a 2026 first-rounder, a 2027 third-rounder, and Coleman or Curtis Samuel and seeing if that’s enough to get a deal done.
While the Bills may trade for a wide receiver, it almost feels like they have to trade for a defensive tackle given Ed Oliver’s bicep injury and TJ Sanders being on IR.
Buffalo can’t go through the rest of the season with Larry Ogunjobi and DaQuan Jones as its starting DTs. Though Jordan Phillips and Deone Walker are nice depth pieces, the Bills need a true starting-caliber DT — someone like Calais Campbell in Arizona or Sebastian Joseph-Day in Tennessee — to help plug the middle of the defense.
Allen is 4-1 vs. Mahomes and Chiefs in regular season but 0-4 in playoffs, which is why I’m not worried if Buffalo loses this weekend. The game in January is the only one that matters.