The Buffalo Bills were the preseason favorites to win the AFC East title once again and give the Kansas City Chiefs a legitimate fight for AFC superiority.
As the season approaches the midway point, all of the Bills' aspirations are still viable, but it may take some doing to get past the New England Patriots in the division. The Bills have owned this division in recent years while the Patriots have fallen to the bottom. However, second-year quarterback Drake Maye has led a resurgence, and New England is in first place with a 6-2 record, one-half game better than 5-2 Buffalo.
The Bills don't have to worry at this point because there is still more than half the season to go. General manager Brandon Beane may want to strengthen his roster prior to the November 4 trade deadline by adding a wide receiver and a defensive lineman who can help the Bills stop the run.
Bills need to support QB Josh Allen
There is little doubt that quarterback Josh Allen is the team's best and most dynamic player. He is paid an average of $55 million per year, and that means that owner Terry Pegula and everyone associated with the Bills expects him to bring the team a championship. He is paid more than any other quarterback in the league other than Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys., who earns an average of $60 million.
Despite his salary, Allen is not producing at an elite level this season. He is completing 68.0 percent of his passes, a figure that ranks just 11th in the league. He also has thrown just 12 touchdown passes through seven games, and that's tied for 14th place. Several of his other passing statistics — including yards, yards per game and passer rating — are well down the list and fairly ordinary this season.
It's clear that the Bills will only go as far as their best and highest-paid player can take them. Allen needs help at the wide receiver position and that would give the team a chance to play to its potential.
Chris Olave has quite a bit to offer the Bills
The Bills need to make a serious effort to bring in wide receiver Chris Olave from the New Orleans Saints. He is having an excellent season for a team that is out of playoff consideration. The Saints are in dead last in the NFC South with a 1-7 record and they don't have the talent on either side of the ball to make a turnaround likely.
If the Saints are going to help themselves, they need to trade several of their best assets and bring in high draft choices who can help the team become a contender in the not-too-distant future.
Olave is one of those players. The 25-year-old is having an excellent season with 52 catches for 503 yards and 3 TDs. Those numbers stand out considering the Saints have one of the most ordinary quarterback situations in the league.
If the Bills were to acquire him in a trade, he would quickly become Allen's go-to receiver. The Bills top two targets at this point are wideout Khalil Shakir and tight end Dalton Kincaid. Shakir has caught 31 passes for 356 yards and 3 TDs. Kincaid is a productive tight end with 21-310-4. Both are good players, but neither could do as much for the Bills as Olave if he is acquired by the team.
Olave is in his fourth season with the Saints since he was drafted in the first round out of Ohio State in 2022. He exceeded the 1,000-yard mark in his first two seasons with the team, catching a career-best 87-1,123-5 during the 2023 season.
Bringing in Olave would give Allen a chance to play to his potential and deliver a championship to the Bills and their hungry fans.
Bills need to strengthen their defensive line play
The Bills have struggled badly this year at stopping the run. They rank 31st in that area as they are allowing 150.3 rushing yards per game. The only team worse than the Bills at stopping the run is the Cincinnati Bengals.
The biggest problem area for the Bills is that they often lose the battle when teams attack their interior. They lack the strength in the middle of the defensive line and that allows opponents to gash them with the inside running game.
Trading for a defensive tackle like Harrison Phillips of the New York Jets could be the move that turns this situation around. Phillips is an outstanding run defender and the eight-year veteran knows the Bills system. He spent the first four years of his career with the Bills before moving on to the Minnesota Vikings and the Jets.
Phillips is 6-3 and 308 pounds, and he has the strength and instincts t0 slow down opposing running backs when they attempt to run between the tackles.
His presence would help the Bills assert themselves on defense, and that could give them a better chance of succeeding in the postseason.
