Proposed Bills signing would add 2x All-Pro defender to bolster secondary

One NFL analyst believes the Buffalo Bills should bolster their secondary ahead of the playoffs by signing a four-time Pro Bowler who has plenty of experience under his belt.

Buffalo Bills helmet | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

If the Week 14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams showed us anything, it's that the Buffalo Bills can't have enough help in the secondary as they attempt to make a run at a Super Bowl in 2024.

The Rams had a field day against Buffalo's secondary, with Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford throwing for 320 yards and two touchdowns in a 44-42 Rams victory.

The Bills' secondary has actually played better than expected this season, with Buffalo ranking ninth against the pass, even after Sunday's loss.

Even still, it wouldn't hurt to add a veteran option at cornerback, and that's exactly what Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine proposes. He thinks the Bills should sign veteran cornerback Xavien Howard.

"Perhaps this is the week that makes the Bills take a serious look at bringing in another defensive back," Ballentine wrote. "This is a team that is dangerously close to putting together a Super Bowl run, but it just has a few tweaks to make. Signing Xavien Howard would be a fairly cheap way to attempt to push the Bills over the top at this point. The 31-year-old allowed a passer rating of just 81.3 when targeted last season."

A two-time All-Pro (one first-team, one second-team), Howard has yet to sign with a team this season but recently worked out for the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys, so he's clearly still interested in playing in 2024.

The 31-year-old posted respectable coverage numbers in 2023, when he allowed completions on 62.9% of the passes thrown his way and a 81.3 passer rating when targeted. Those numbers would be improvements over both of the Bills' starters on the boundary.

The problem with adding Howard is that the Bills are extremely thin on cap space. According to Over the Cap, Buffalo has just $1.3 million to work with, which might not be enough.

If the Bills are going to win a Super Bowl, they're going to have to be able to deal with some talented passing attacks to get there. Assuming they can find a way to make it work, adding Howard would make them better equipped to do so.

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