Fresh off an unexpected loss to the New England Patriots, the Buffalo Bills seem ready to make some moves ahead of next week's trade deadline. The Bills restructured the contract of starting left tackle Dion Dawkins, creating $3.9 million in cap space for the rest of the 2023 season, according to Field Yates.

Dawkins is in year three of a four-year contract extension he signed before the 2020 season. After starting 11 games as a rookie in 2017, Dawkins has been a full-time starter since 2018, playing all but three games during that span. He's been selected for the Pro Bowl in each of the last two seasons.

The Bills fell out of first place in the AFC East last weekend after losing to the Patriots 29-25. New England entered the game with a 1-5 record and had scored just 20 points in its last three games. The Pats scored a season-high 29 on the Bills' reeling defense.

Buffalo has lost multiple starters on defense and their absences have shown on the field. The 29 points is the most the Bills have given up this season and after forcing 13 turnovers in the first five games, Buffalo has one takeaway in the last two weeks.

The Bills have a short week with a Thursday Night Football date against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looming, so they likely won’t make any trades before the weekend. The move with Dion Dawkins' contract does signal that Buffalo anticipates adding to the roster, though it may not be a very big splash.

Regardless, a round of applause should be handed to Dawkins for agreeing to shift some money in order to help the Bills this season.

The NFL trade deadline is Oct. 31.