Bills Central

Bills trade prediction lands $31 million AAV EDGE rusher in exchange for draft picks

It's been musical chairs for aging EDGE rushers in NFL free agency thus far and the Buffalo Bills have been smack dab in the center. They may not be done yet.

Brian Letscher

Sep 19, 2022; Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane enters the field before a game.
Sep 19, 2022; Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane enters the field before a game. / Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
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The Buffalo Bills' pass rush struggled much of the season, generating a middle-of-the-pack 39 sacks, including a disappointing pressure rate on just six of Patrick Mahomes drop backs against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.

Bills GM Brandon Beane's made two big moves internally to begin to address their EDGE need, first signing Greg Rousseau to an $80 million contract extension and then releasing 3-time All-Pro Von Miller who, while beloved in the lockerroom, had produced just 14 sacks in three seasons with the Bills. Beane then signed ex-Charger, 29-year-old Joey Bosa, to a one year deal worth $12 million, hoping Bosa can stay healthy and show up in big situations despite the well-documented injury risk.

According to a recent mock draft, however, Beane and the Bills are not finished. The Sporting News' writer Jarrett Bailey predicted Buffalo will make a huge trade with the Cincinnati Bengals to acquire one aging EDGE rusher, Trey Hendrickson, who continues to produce at a very high level.

Trey Hendrickson
Jan 4, 2025; Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) sacks Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

"...Buffalo just extended Greg Rousseau and signed Joey to a one-year deal. However, acquiring Hendrickson gives you three havoc play-makers off the edge, " Bailey wrote, "Get Hendrickson, extend him, and give yourselves a tremendous trio of pass rushers for the 2025 season."

Bailey suggests that the Bengals receive the Bills 2024 second-round pick (No. 56) and fifth-round pick (No. 175) as well as their 2026 third-round pick. Buffalo gets Hendrickson and his 34.5 sacks over the last two seasons including 3.5 sacks in the Bengals playoff win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. That stat alone may have Beane looking to fill one more chair in the Bills' EDGE rusher room.

Trey Hendrickson sack
Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) sacks Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson (3) in the first quarter of the NFL Week 18 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Brian Letscher
BRIAN LETSCHER

A Michigan native, Brian graduated from the University of Michigan in another century, where he earned a degree in economics and a Rose Bowl Championship ring while playing football for the Wolverines under Head Coach Gary Moeller. Brian went on to coach Division 1A football for several years before becoming a full-time writer and actor while maintaining an unhealthy interest in sports. He is currently developing a scripted television series, THOSE WHO STAY, based on a series of historical fiction articles he wrote about Bo Schembechler's Michigan football program as they struggle to unite and win the championship - which requires beating #1 Ohio State - during the tumultuous civil rights and anti-war movements of 1969.

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