Buffalo Bills' Greatest Weakness Emphasized by Myles Garrett Trade Between Browns and Rams

Once again, Brandon Beane and the Buffalo Bills came up short.

With the Cleveland Browns reportedly trading Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams, the Bills missed out on a potential deal for a game-wrecking defender to team with franchise quarterback Josh Allen. Instead, as has been the case the past many years, the Bills will move forward with the many half-measures they deployed throughout the offseason, hoping that’s enough to finally get over the hump to a Super Bowl.

The Browns’ deal with the Rams revealed the Bills’ biggest weakness and the most significant reason why they will remain in limbo for as long as Beane is the man calling the shots.

Bills offseason action barely moved the needle

The Rams’ blockbuster trade for Garrett, which sent edge rusher Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and 2029 third-round pick to Cleveland, per NFL Network, was a move from a team willing to do whatever it takes to advance its position within its conference’s pecking order.

On the other side of the coin, the Bills’ offseason trade for wide receiver DJ Moore and free-agent signing of EDGE Bradley Chubb don't appear to be near the game-changing transactions the team needed to take the jump it’s hoping for entering the 2026 campaign.

As usual, Beane was left on the outside looking in while another more aggressive team pounced on an opportunity. According to ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi, the Browns refused the Rams’ attempts to land Garrett. However, Los Angeles wouldn’t be denied and eventually sent the house to acquire the NFL’s single-season sack leader.

One argument made in Beane's defense is the Bills didn't have a player of Verse's caliber to send the Browns in return for Garrett. But do we know for sure multiple first-round picks wouldn't have done the trick for Cleveland rather than a player and picks? The answer is no.

One thing that's been made clear, however, is Beane's continuous inaction when it comes to seismic moves that could change the course of the franchise's history. The Bills have made massive trades before. Look back at the 1987 trade for linebacker Cornelius Bennett.

To land "Biscuit", the Bills relinquished a couple of first-round picks and a second-rounder, along with running. back Greg Bell. The trade helped catapult Buffalo's effort in reaching four straight Super Bowls.

With that said, under the current regime, big-time deals just don't seem to be in the cards the past several years.

Bizarro world Bills

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) exits the field after the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Huntington Bank Field. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

For all you Seinfeld fans out there, the Rams are the bizarro Bills. In other words, Los Angeles’ front office operation is the polar opposite of that of Buffalo.

Routinely, the Rams recognize their Super Bowl window and capitalize with big-swing moves year after year to find the results they’re hoping for. In other words, they go for it.

A prime example of such a move was their trade for quarterback Matthew Stafford, the reigning MVP and player who helped Los Angeles win Super Bowl LVI. The Rams gave up a couple of first-round picks and former first-round quarterback Jared Goff to complete the deal and have since re-signed Stafford.

Then, this year, they traded their 2026 first-rounder and other picks to the Kansas City Chiefs to acquire cornerback Trent McDuffie before swinging the deal for Garrett, a year after they advanced to the NFC Championship game.

The Rams are going for it. Again.

The Bills? They’re satisfied with half-hearted attempts to bolster their roster, as we have seen time and again, such as trading a second-round pick for a declining Moore. As a result, Buffalo has meandered through Allen’s prime, squandering a few prime opportunities to compete for a championship.

Beane and the Bills would love to have you blame the past coaching job conducted by Sean McDermott. However, time after time, Beane claims to be in on players that wind up getting moved, only to come up empty in the long run.

We will see what he has to say about Garrett, as the Bills’ general manager/president of football operations has previously claimed he will “turn over every stone” to find a superstar player. However, despite Beane’s claims, we have yet to see that happen since 2020, when Buffalo sent a first-rounder and other picks to the Minnesota Vikings for wide receiver Stefon Diggs.

Since that trade, and the subsequent move to unload Diggs on the Houston Texans before the 2024 season, the Bills have been reluctant to make another big splash, and as a result, they’ve missed out on several players such as Garrett who would have helped them as much as Diggs did after he came to Buffalo.

The Bills’ greatest weakness throughout their stretch of half-pregnancy has not been their inability to make the clutch play or timely coaching decision in crunch time during many postseason defeats. Instead, it’s been the head of the snake, Beane, who has wasted away years of opportunity for a franchise and fan base never more deserving of a championship.

To add insult to injury on Monday, the New England Patriots later completed another trade involving a team's first-round pick for wide receiver A.J. Brown after the Browns dealt Garrett to the Rams. Another example of a rival team doing everything in its power to advance its position within its conference while Beane plays the role of Nero: sitting idly by, fiddling with his draft picks while Rome, or in this case Orchard Park, burns beneath his feet.

And when things go horribly wrong in 2026 as a result of Beane’s inaction, he won’t be around long enough to sweep up the ashes.

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