Bills Can't get Former CB Stephon Gilmore, but is Jaylon Smith still an option?

There are some intriguing names still out there. Some may be able to help right away.

All of a sudden, there are some accomplished players on the free-agent market. Do the Buffalo Bills kick the tires on any of them?

Linebackers Jaylon Smith and Jamie Collins and defensive back Tre Boston are among the players seeking jobs.

Former Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore was going to be released by New England barring a trade before 4 p.m., but they were able to make a deal with the Carolina Panthers, taking the 31-year-old off the market.

Gilmore is a four-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time All-Pro who led the NFL with six interceptions just two years ago.

He also has the highest grade (90.4) among the league's corners since 2018 by Pro Football Focus.

The Patriots have released former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore, per @AdamSchefter

Gilmore: 90.4 PFF Grade since 2018 (1st among CBs) pic.twitter.com/w2DBmkHDkh

— PFF (@PFF) October 6, 2021

The Bills have been happy with the play of CB2 Levi Wallace.

But could Gilmore have made the league's top-ranked defense even better? The question likely will never be answered now.

Gilmore is recovering from a quad injury that landed him on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list to start the season. He was eligible to be activated after Week 6 but wouldn't accept the terms of a restructured contract the Patriots offered before they agreed to part ways.

But Smith is still out there. He's just 26 and made the Pro Bowl in 2019 but was underperforming in new coordinator Dan Quinn's Dallas Cowboys defense.

As with their cornerbacks, the Bills are pleased with what linebackers Matt Milano, Tremaine Edmunds and A.J. Klein have given them. Heck, even deep reserve and special-teams ace Tyler Matakevich contributed an interception in Buffalo's 40-0 blowout over Houston last Sunday.

But Milano has had trouble staying healthy; the Bills still haven't decided what to do with Edmunds, whose rookie contract expires at the end of next season; and Klein's salary cap hit next year is $5.6 million — extremely steep for a third linebacker in a defense that features only two on the field most of the time.

Would Smith, who had fallen out of favor in Dallas, be a fit in this culture?

Something to ponder as the Bills get ready for a crucial road trip to Kansas City and an appearance on Sunday Night Football.

Nick Fierro is the publisher of Bills Central. Check out the latest Bills news at www.si.com/nfl/bills and follow Fierro on Twitter at @NickFierro. Email to Nicky300@aol.com.