Three WRs Bills should have traded for before NFL trade deadline

The Buffalo Bills stood pat at the trade deadline, but there appeared to be options available for the team to boost various positions of need.

Sep 14, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (12) looks on against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half at Caesars Superdome. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Hindsight is 20/20.

After the Buffalo Bills stood pat during one of the wildest NFL trade deadline days in recent memory, many have opined on whether that was the right decision.

The Bills sit at 6-2 and are in the thick of the AFC playoff race, but elected to pass on boosting their roster for the stretch run. It’s never certain which players may have been available for Buffalo to acquire via trade, but it’s always fun to speculate.

Here are three players the Bills should have traded for before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. deadline.

RELATED: Insider reports Buffalo Bills close to landing WR, DE before trade deadline

Oct 5, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (12) walks on the sideline during the second half at Caesars Superdome. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints

There were mixed reports leading up to the trade deadline regarding Olave’s potential availability, as he was previously reported to have been on the trade block, only for further reports to downplay the chances of him being dealt this season.

All that said, if the Bills could have plucked Olave away from New Orleans, it would have been a no-brainer for the Bills. The fourth-year pro has recorded 55 receptions for 560 yards and three touchdowns this season and could have been the deep threat the Bills could desperately use.

MORE: Reported Buffalo Bills trade target off the table after being dealt to Jaguars

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings (15) celebrates after catching a pass for a first down during the second quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Levi's Stadium. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers

Jennings requested a trade this offseason after recording 77 receptions for 975 yards and six touchdowns a season ago. He is off to a slow start in 2025, having appeared in seven games, during which he has totaled 22 receptions for 253 yards and two scores. He is coming off a four-reception, 41-yard effort, which included a touchdown, against the New York Giants in Week 9.

Jennings is 6-foot-3 and is still just 28 years old. He could have been an upgrade at the X receiver position over second-year WR Keon Coleman. The money may have been tricky, but where there is a will, there is a way.

RELATED: Potential options as NFL insider reports Buffalo Bills actively pursuing WR trade

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Tolbert (1) warms up before the game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

Jalen Tolbert, Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys were open for business on Tuesday, and Tolbert had been a name rumored to be available leading into Tuesday afternoon. He is not a star by any means, but the former third-round pick is an outside receiver with the ability to stretch the field.

Tolbert has averaged over 12 yards per reception in each of the past three seasons, including a 49-reception, 610-yard, seven-touchdown 2024 campaign. He has recorded long receptions of 35, 48, and 45 yards over the last three seasons.

A trade for the Cowboys' WR would not have inspired much confidence from Bills fans, but it would have been a low-cost move that would have been better than nothing.

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