Bills Central

How should Bills respond to Chiefs’ acquisition of Josh Uche?

The Kansas City Chiefs have loaded up with the acquisition of pass-rusher Josh Uche. Should the Buffalo Bills respond in kind?

Kyle Silagyi

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Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane has already made it clear that his team is open to adding a piece or two ahead of the NFL’s November 5 trade deadline, but said alluded-to reinforcements will not be coming in the form of Josh Uche, as the New England Patriots traded the 26-year-old pass-rusher to the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday afternoon.

It’s a bit of a blow for Buffalo not only because it was floated as a possible fit for the former double-digit sack defender, but also because of the landing spot; the Chiefs are currently the NFL’s lone remaining undefeated team, and their recent maneuvers (they also acquired five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins last week) suggest that they again have their sights set firmly on the Super Bowl. The Bills will (more than likely) have to get past Kansas City should they want to hoist the Lombardi Trophy this season, something they’ve demonstrably had difficulties doing in the past (falling to the Chiefs in three of the last four postseasons); any sort of mid-season improvements from Kansas City only makes Buffalo’s road to potential glory that much more difficult.

Given the Chiefs’ recent moves, it’s fair to ponder whether the Bills should make any additional trades of their own. Beane demonstrably isn’t one to sit on his hands, this made clear by his mid-October acquisition of wide receiver Amari Cooper; that said, does Buffalo need to swing more deals? Is the acquisition of Uche that much of a needle-mover that the Bills’ architect should feel pressured into working the phones more aggressively?

Related: 3 realistic targets for Bills ahead of 2024 NFL trade deadline

With regard to Uche, in particular, Kansas City’s interest makes sense; the Chiefs currently rank 22nd in team sack percentage at 6.15% and 24th in team sacks with 15. Buffalo, conversely, ranks 18th in team sack percentage at 6.73% and 12th in team sacks with 21. Uche is a perhaps nationally underrated pass rusher who has tallied 20.5 sacks and 137 quarterback pressures throughout his five-year professional career; it’s not as though the Bills couldn’t have used the defender, but Kansas City had a more pressing need, and its more aggressive pursuit of Uche, thus, makes sense.

Buffalo’s pass rush has had its bright spots thus far this year (namely Greg Rousseau, who has recorded 38 pressures and notched an astonishing six quarterback hits in Week 7 alone), and it figures to receive a boost moving forward when the NFL’s active all-time sack leader in Von Miller returns from suspension; Rousseau, Miller, A.J. Epenesa, and Dawuane Smoot isn’t a terrible defensive end rotation, and the Chiefs’ acquisition of Uche shouldn’t necessarily pressure the Bills to add a body at the position. 

Greg Roussea
Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

That said, the group could do a better job at converting pressures into sacks, and adding another player to the rotation wouldn't be a bad strategy through which to do so; a potential name to watch in this regard is Azeez Ojulari, a 24-year-old New York Giants defender who has turned 27% of his pressures into sacks this season, per PFF. New York general manager Joe Schoen rose through the NFL ranks under Beane, so there’s a rapport there; Ojulari is on an expiring contract and has a base salary of just $1.6 million this year.

If Kansas City’s move does inspire the Bills to respond in kind, the more advantageous position to add to may be defensive tackle; the interior of Buffalo’s defensive line has consistently struggled both against the run and in generating pass rush this season, and it’s currently undermanned due to key rookie tackle DeWayne Carter being sidelined with a wrist injury. Adding another contributor at the position would not only (theoretically) allow the interior of the line itself to generate pressure at a higher rate, but also create more opportunities for the team’s defensive ends to get home; potential names to watch in this regard could be Calais Campbell, Maliek Collins, and Sebastian Joseph-Day.

Related: Why Bills OT Dion Dawkins wanted Keon Coleman’s signed cleats after Week 8 win

Safety could be another position at which Buffalo could use some depth, as rookie Cole Bishop hasn’t looked stellar in spot duty and veteran Mike Edwards has consistently found himself on the inactive list. Jacksonville defender Andre Cisco could be a fit, but the Bills seem confident in starters Taylor Rapp and Damar Hamlin and may trust their internal reinforcements enough to prevent them from dealing draft capital for a player from outside of the organization.

Making reactionary moves in the NFL rarely ends well, and a rival executing a trade should never singlehandedly inspire a team to strike a deal of their own; that said, Buffalo’s need for additional pass-rushing help is significant enough that it, too, should consider swinging a trade for a defensive lineman before November 5. Defensive tackle seems like the most auspicious position given the ramifications that help at that position could have across the unit, but an intriguing player like Ojulari wouldn’t be a bad acquisition, either.

The 6-2 Bills will likely be just fine should they hold off from making any additional trades this year, but as one of the few teams ahead of them in the AFC standings continues to load up, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for Buffalo to continue doing so, as well.

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Kyle Silagyi
KYLE SILAGYI

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