Bills Got Trade Calls For AJ Epenesa Before Dealing Boogie Basham

Before the Buffalo Bills traded Boogie Basham to the New York Giants on Tuesday, they reportedly received calls for another defensive end

The Buffalo Bills were quite active on Tuesday as the roster cutdown deadline loomed.

Obviously, the Bills' top priority was making cuts of their own, but they also made a notable trade on Tuesday. Buffalo traded defensive end Boogie Basham along with a 2025 seventh-round pick to the New York Giants for a 2025 sixth-round selection.

Apparently, though, Basham wasn't the only Bills defensive end on the trade block. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Buffalo fielded trade calls on AJ Epeneza before ultimately trading Basham instead.

"The Bills had received trade interest on Boogie Basham and A.J. Epenesa," Fowler wrote on Twitter. "With Von Miller, Gregory Rousseau and Leonard Floyd at the top, teams had interest in Buffalo's pass-rush depth."

The #Bills had received trade interest on Boogie Basham and A.J. Epenesa. With Von Miller, Gregory Rousseau and Leonard Floyd at the top, teams had interest in Buffalo's pass-rush depth.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) August 29, 2023

As Fowler notes, the Bills' abundance of pass-rush depth forced their hand in a way. The big three of Miller, Rousseau and Floyd were guaranteed to make the 53-man roster, so that left the other defensive ends fighting for limited spots. Ultimately, Basham was the odd-man out while Epenesa, Shaq Lawson and others made the cut.

© Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Both Epenesa and Basham were recent second-round picks by the Bills, with Epenesa joining the team in 2020 and Basham doing so the following year. Both players were relatively quiet in their first two seasons, with Epenesa having 2.5 sacks and Basham having 4.5. However, that extra year of experience benefitted Epenesa, as his 6.5 sacks last season were third on the team behind Miller and Rousseau with eight each.

Basham had a strong showing with the Bills in the preseason with seven solo tackles and two sacks. Epenesa didn't play much in comparison, but did have two tackles for loss and a sack in the Bills' win over the Chicago Bears on Saturday. Despite Basham's strong performance this preseason, it wasn't enough to cement his roster spot.

If Basham can take a third-year jump like Epenesa did, then the Giants may have gotten a solid pass-rusher for a bargain. Regardless of what happens, though, the Bills have made their choice and now must move forward.