The Buffalo Bills will have a vastly different look on offense this season. Gone are Stefon Diggs, the star wide receiver who was their No. 1 option and made the Pro Bowl in each of the last four years, and Gabriel Davis, their WR2 for the last four years.
Thus, they’re pinning their hopes on Khalil Shakir and rookie Keon Coleman to develop into reliable playmakers at the wideout spot for quarterback Josh Allen.
The Bills will likely have to win more with defense than they have. Last year, they ranked fairly high in several key defensive categories, but their defense was banged up, and it lost a key player in Leonard Floyd, their leader in sacks and quarterback hits who signed with the San Francisco 49ers.
Alex Kay of Bleacher Report urged Buffalo to trade for a gifted but risky player: edge rusher Joey Bosa of the Los Angeles Chargers.
“The return of Von Miller will give the team a much-needed boost in the pass-rushing department, but acquiring another proven Pro Bowl edge defender could push this unit over the top,” wrote Kay. “Joey Bosa would be an ideal target for a team in win-now mode and may benefit from a change of scenery following two injury-plagued campaigns with the Los Angeles Chargers.”
Bosa, the No. 3 pick in the 2016 draft, has made the Pro Bowl four times in his eight seasons in the NFL. he has posted double-digit sacks four times, and he has a set of skills, not to mention the physique (he stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 280 pounds) that many teams wish they had.
But he has been injury-prone over the years. He has appeared in a total of just 14 games in the last two seasons, and thus he has to be seen as a high-risk, high-reward player.
But Kay seems to think the rewards outweigh the risks for the Bills.
“While his various injuries are concerning, the four-time Pro Bowler has still been effective when he’s on the field—tallying nine sacks in the games he did play over the last two years,” Kay continued.
“Considering the Chargers are entering a new era under head coach Jim Harbaugh, it could be time to get a fresh start on defense by dealing Bosa for a Day 2 pick. If the Bills are willing to cough that up and Bosa can stay healthy, they’ll be much better equipped to take on the likes of Aaron Rodgers and Tua Tagovailoa during a grueling 2024 slate.”
Plenty are still picking the Bills to win the AFC East, but if they do, it will likely be the toughest division race they have had in the Allen era. The Miami Dolphins are looking to take the next step and shed their label of being an allegedly fraudulent team, while the Jets are looking to reverse decades of ineptitude and get at least one excellent season from the 40-year-old Rodgers.
Then there is the rest of the AFC, which features nuclear weapons at quarterback such as Bosa’s teammate Justin Herbert, reigning MVP Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, C.J. Stroud and, of course, the piece of Bills kryptonite known as Patrick Mahomes.
Adding another pass rusher has to be seen as part of the to-do list for the Buffalo Bills if they are to finally win their first Super Bowl championship any time soon.
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