It's hard not to feel like the clock is ticking for the Buffalo Bills. They've been championship contenders for the last three years, but have consistently come up short in the postseason. An embarrassing home loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2023 Divisional Round was just the latest setback for a group with sky-high expectations.
Buffalo hasn't made many moves through the early days of free agency, but the ones they have made have been very impactful. First off, they nabbed former Dallas Cowboys offensive guard Connor McGovern to bolster an offensive line that needed it badly. Secondly, they managed to retain safety Jordan Poyer after many assumed he was a goner. The only big loss was linebacker Tremaine Edmonds, which is a big loss to be fair, so the Bills are still firmly in the top echelon of the NFL.
That said, this team is still far from perfect. There are a few positions that the Bills still struggle in, which hurt their title chances in 2023. Fortunately, there are still plenty of players and time to continue improving the team this offseason. That doesn't just include free agency and the draft, but also trades.
In particular, one player heavily mentioned in trade talks could push the Bills that much closer to a ring. Without further ado, here is the perfect trade the Bills must complete this offseason.
Bills get: RB Austin Ekeler
Chargers get: 2023 third-round pick, 2023 sixth-round pick
Since ascending to the NFL's elite, Buffalo has never had a true star at running back. Devin Singletary and other backs have been solid enough, but aren't necessarily moving the needle.
To be fair, the Bills have managed to have a solid running game despite not having a star back. They finished as the league's seventh-best rushing offense in 2022 with 139.5 yards per game. However, much of that production came from Josh Allen running the ball on his own rather than the backs. If the Bills want to take some pressure off their quarterback, then another running back would be a wise investment.
In fact, that becomes even more important considering Singletary is a free agent. Singletary, who rushed for 819 yards and five touchdowns in 2022, was the Bills' top back for a while, and his loss would leave a hole on offense. This leaves second-year back James Cook as the top option, and while he showed promise as a rookie, he may not be ready to take on that role.
Fortunately for Buffalo, one of the best backs in the league may have just become available. That would be Austin Ekeler of the Los Angeles Chargers, a dynamic threat in both the ground and air games. With extension talks stalling, the Chargers are allowing the star back to seek a trade this offseason.
As mentioned previously, Ekeler is an electric back who can do a bit of everything. In 2022, he set career-highs with 915 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground, in addition to 107 catches for 722 yards and five touchdowns as a receiver. Now that he's seemingly available, he should be one of the top trade targets this offseason.
For the Bills, Ekeler could be their best back in several years. He could be the workhorse in the ground game, and unlock a new dimension of the air game that was previously missing. He also has a very affordable cap hit and shouldn't cost much to acquire. If the Bills want to go all-in this year, acquiring Ekeler would be an excellent move.
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