Three Safeties The Bills Should Target At NFL Trade Deadline

The NFL Trade Deadline is roughly two weeks away, and the Buffalo Bills need a lot of help on the defensive side. Whether it's on the line, at inside linebacker, or in the secondary, there's a lot that needs to be done to help the Bills go from one of the worst defensive units in the league to something respectable.

To do that, it's all about the upcoming trade deadline. In recent years, the deadline has become more active than it had been for decades. For Buffalo, there's no better time to be active than now.

The window remains open for a Super Bowl, but there's a belief that the team and general manager Brandon Beane, specifically, refuse to go all-in. That can all change with one or two big moves by November 10. But who should they look at.

The secondary is, arguably, the biggest concern on defense. The team is giving up the second-most passing yards per game, the most passing first downs, and the second-most passing touchdowns per game. Something has to change sooner or later, and one move on the boundary could be that change. 

And it's not just one area. The cornerbacks haven't been good enough, and neither have the safeties. Right now, we'll focus on one of those positions

Here are three safeties the Bills should target at the NFL Trade Deadline.

Budda Baker - Arizona Cardinals

An eight-time Pro Bowler and two-time first team All-Pro, Baker has been one of the league's better safeties since joining the NFL in 2017. He's also done it while playing for the Arizona Cardinals, one of the worst teams in the league in recent years.

This season, Baker has played in all seven of Arizona's games, recording 44 tackles, four tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and an interception. He would join a Bills defense that needs someone reliable next to Cole Bishop, and would give Buffalo someone they can trust in the defensive backfield.

It also helps that he's under contract for another year in 2027. However, his $20.89 million cap hit could cause problems unless they extend him to spread things out.

Derwin James - Los Angeles Chargers

He comes with an expensive contract, but if the Bills can make the contract work, James immediately changes the outlook of Buffalo's secondary.

He has missed time this year with a hamstring injury, but, when on the field, he's been one of the best in the business. His missed tackles this year (⁓17%) have been a problem, which could lead to pause for a team already dealing with tackling concerns. However, he's one of the most intimidating safeties in the league, and would bring credibility to the Bills defense down the stretch.

Again, though, the contract could be the hangup. James signed a 3-year, $75.6 million extension this year that keeps him under contract through 2029. It carries cap hits of $20.5, $27.6, and $27.5 million over the next three years. It would require Beane to do some things in order to move space around, including restructuring. That said, there is an out after 2027 that would leave Buffalo with just a dead cap hit of $6 million if they moved on due to fit or performance. 

Andre Cisco - New York Jets

This one is a bit more unlikely than the other two. Would the Jets really trade within the division to help a glaring need for a rival? I guess it really depends on the offer, but it will be a premium compared to trading him, say, to the NFC. 

That said, Cisco hasn't played much since being benched in Week 3 after signing a one-year deal with New York in the offseason. He can be a help on a thin defensive back end, but would honestly be the "better than nothing" addition to the defense. That is, unless he returns to the form he had while in Jacksonville, where he had eight interceptions over three seasons. 

Cisco has 21 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble this year while playing just 39% of the defensive snaps.