Buffalo Bills: Trade Up Plans Just Got Way More Complicated
By Erik Lambert
The Buffalo Bills can’t hide their intentions anymore. They’re doing everything in their power to get high enough to draft a quarterback.
That’s not a bad thing. Quarterbacks make the world go round in the NFL. Buffalo had Tyrod Taylor but it’s clear the new regime was never sold on him. Unfortunately, their decision to trade him off to Cleveland may end up coming back to bite them. His mobility and creativity were so underrated but also masked what was a leaky offensive line and times. Now all they have is A.J. McCarron behind what could be an utter disaster in 2018.
This was rammed home by the recent news that Pro Bowl guard Richie Incognito was planning to retire. He informed Bills beat writer Vic Carucci of this after firing his agent not too long ago. He cited stress and health problems as the primary reasons for his decision. One can’t fault him for that, but it’s the latest body blow suffered by the Bills offensive line in what is fast becoming an unintended fire sale.
@68INCOGNITO just told me the following: "I'm, done. That's it. It's been a long career. Went to the doctor. My liver and kidneys are shutting down. The stress is killing me. It's just about doing what's right. I just want to be in the Hall of Fame." Full story to come.
— Vic Carucci (@viccarucci) April 10, 2018
Incognito was the Bills best lineman and his loss adds yet another weak spot to the roster. This team is really going to miss Tyrod Taylor's ability to swing the turnover ratio and steal wins.
— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) April 10, 2018
Incognito exit makes a trade up look less appealing
The Bills no longer have one big hole on their offensive line. They have three. They traded left tackle Cordy Glenn to the Bengals. Center Eric Wood was forced to retire with a neck issue. Now Incognito is gone too. That’s their three best starters gone in the space of a few months. Normally when something like this happens, it can lead to a disaster for whomever the starting quarterback is.
Is a trade up from #12 a good business decision at this point. It’s going to cost a high price, likely their two 1st and two 2nd round picks. If that’s the case, can the Bills really hope to secure enough quality offensive linemen to plug all these holes in the 3rd round and later? That’s doubtful. It may be becoming more prudent for the Bills to see if they can nab a QB at #12 and use the remaining picks to reload the line.
Next: 2018 NFL Mock Draft: The Quarterback Wars Rage in Top 10
Otherwise, it won’t matter who’s the starting QB in 2018. He’ll likely be on his back too often to matter. The front office and coaching staff have some difficult decisions to make over the next couple weeks. Either way, they better make sure they have a plan.