Bills predicted to add $11 million defender to address future weakness

One of the biggest concerns for the Buffalo Bills is their pass defense, which ranks 24th in the NFL. It's too late to fix the issue this season, but one NFL analyst sees Buffalo addressing the issue in free agency in 2025.

Buffalo Bills helmet. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

As the Buffalo Bills prepare to make a run at the Super Bowl in 2024, one of the biggest concerns for head coach Sean McDermott's squad is the defense, and more specifically, the secondary.

Buffalo currently sports the No. 24 pass defense in the NFL this season. Lackluster coverage has certainly played a part in that, but a disappointing pass-rush has also played a role.

Unfortunately, there isn't much the Bills can do at this late stage in the campaign, and that's especially true with Buffalo having just $1.2 million in cap space, per Over the Cap.

And, with the Bills only projected to have $8.1 million in 2025, they're going to be shopping in the bargain bin for help on the defensive side of the ball.

Knowing that, Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine believes the Bills could come away with Green Bay Packers cornerback Eric Stokes, who is in the final year of his four-year, $11.9 million rookie deal after the Packers declined his fifth-year option.

"Some of the best teams in the league are able to take on some reclamation projects and turn them into useful players," Ballentine wrote. "For instance, the Philadelphia Eagles have turned Mekhi Becton into an asset at guard this season. Sean McDermott is a good defensive coach who should give the Bills a shot to do something similar with Eric Stokes.

"The Green Bay Packers corner has had his fair share of injuries and struggles in the first four years of his career," Ballentine added. "However, the raw talent that made him a first-rounder in 2021 is going to give him another chance and the Bills would love to have a quality corner at a budget price."

After a very impressive rookie season, Stokes has seen his career derailed thanks to injuries and ineffective play. Stokes also fell out of favor in 2024, losing his starting job.

That will make Stokes cheap and right up the Bills' alley. There's a chance that a change of scenery and playing under McDermott could unlock the rookie version of Stokes, which would make signing him a total steal.

Stokes isn't the big, sexy name Bills fans will want to add to the secondary, but he's a realistic option based on Buffalo's financial constraints in 2025.

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