ESPN predicts looming Bills trade to upgrade defense

NFL insider Dan Graziano predicts the Buffalo Bills will make a trade - or two - in the coming weeks in an attempt to upgrade their pass defense to Super Bowl quality.

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) and safety Taylor Rapp (9) run onto the field before a game against the New England Patriots | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

The Buffalo Bills crafted a reunion this week to upgrade their defense, re-signing veteran safety Jordan Poyer. But according to ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano, that might not be the final piece to their Super Bowl puzzle.

In a full-circle moment, Poyer signed a one-year contract to return to the team where he made All-Pro in 2021 and the Pro Bowl in 2022. But according to Graziano, the Bills are keen on making an additional, even bigger move.

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In his bold predictions for all 32 teams, Graziano writes "Don't be surprised if ... the Bills make a trade or two to improve their defense."

Brandon Beane, general manager of Buffalo Bills, heads off the field at training camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford on July 24, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While multiple NFL analysts believed the Bills were a logical landing spot for disgruntled Dallas Cowboys' edge rusher Micah Parsons, he was dealt instead to the Green Bay Packers. The Bills' safety play was abysmal in the preseason, with Cole Bishop and Damar Hamlin getting carved up by the Chicago Bears' Caleb Williams.

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Poyer should help bolster the position, but Graziano foresees another move or two looming.

"Buffalo feels great about its offense, which outscored every team in the NFL last year except the Lions," he wrote on ESPN. "But it's still putting things together on the defensive side of the ball, where the Bills finished in the bottom half of the league last season with 5.5 yards allowed per play. The safety position has been a particularly thorny question mark, especially considering how important that position is in coach Sean McDermott's defense. Don't be shocked if the front office looks to help them out here in the coming weeks or months with a strategic addition or two."

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott gestures at the end of the second half against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

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