Bills-Titans Trade Grades: Buffalo Upgrades Secondary Before Trade Deadline

The Bills are shoring up their secondary, trading for Titans safety Amani Hooker. Per Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, Buffalo is sending second- and fifth-round picks to bring in Hooker.

Hooker is getting traded off one of the best games of his career, picking off Joe Burrow three times in the Titans’ 43–36 loss to the Bengals on Sunday. He will now be tasked with improving the Bills’ safety room.

With Hooker heading to Buffalo, here is how both teams fared in the deal.

Bills

Don’t be fooled by the Vikings’ offense—the Bills needed secondary help and got it in Hooker. The Bills’ pass defense is one of the worst in the league, ranking 29th in passing yards allowed per game (238.8). While Buffalo has outscored all its opponents so far this season, they’ve given up plenty of yards and touchdowns through the air, including to the Patriots, Rams, Raiders and Lions. It’s hard to imagine that being sustainable for the Bills going into the playoffs. According to Next Gen Stats, Hooker has allowed a 79.3 passer rating in coverage this season, which will benefit the Bills’ secondary.

Trading for Hooker also deepens their safety room, which thinned after releasing C.J. Gardner-Johnson earlier this season. Hooker signed a three-year, $48.6 million extension with the Titans in 2025, so he will also be with the Bills beyond this season.

The Bills’ grade for the deal is lower because they paid a steep price to bring in Hooker. Still, it is good to see Buffalo make a splash move to improve their secondary and help their Super Bowl aspirations. The Bills have recently fallen short in the playoffs in part because of their pass-defense, so they will hope Hooker can help them avoid those miscues. If Hooker can shore up some of their pass-defense woes and/or help them win the Super Bowl, the high draft capital will be more than worth the price.

Grade: C+

Titans

The Titans continue to add to their draft haul by dealing Hooker before the deadline. Hooker has been one of the Titans’ best defensive players since they drafted him in the fourth round in 2019. Tennessee has already added two first-round picks by trading Jeffery Simmons last week, and now is adding more picks on Days 2 and 3 of the draft.

The loss of Hooker will sting for the Titans’ secondary and locker room, but at 1–7, Tennessee wasn’t going to contend this season anyway and the return was too good to pass up. Hooker will be 29 by the start of next year, making it a decent time to move on and begin looking to the future.

Grade: A-

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