The Buffalo Bills' defense has been a major problem during the 2026 season and general manager Brandon Beane needs to be aggressive to help that side of the ball out.
In the first year under new defenisve coordinator Jim Leonhard, the Bills sport one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Buffalo has been especially bad against the pass, with the Bills ranking 31st.
One major cause of their struggles against the pass has been the Bills' cornerbacks room, which has seen lackluster play from both Maxwell Hairston and Davison Igbinosun, with the former getting benched recently. Things have been so bad that the Bills brought Tre'Davious White back in the hopes he can help improve things.
The Bills still have a few more weeks before the trade deadline to assess where they stand, but if things keep going the way they have been, a cornerback trade is needed.
Bills matched with Eagles for possible trade
With the Philadelphia Eagles in rough shape following a 2-4 start and the loss of Jalen Hurts for the rest of the season, general manager Howie Roseman could start selling at the deadline.
One player The Athletic's Daniel Popper believes could be for sale is cornerback Riq Woolen, and he thinks the Bills could be a fit.
"Woolen won a Super Bowl with the Seahawks last season. He then hit free agency and, rather surprisingly, a market did not materialize for him. Woolen ended up signing a one-year deal with the Eagles. Although he has given up two touchdowns, Woolen has played well in coverage down-to-down for Philadelphia. He was in tight coverage on the Parker Washington one-handed touchdown in the Eagles’ loss to the Jaguars in Week 5. The combination of size and speed will always make Woolen an intriguing piece," Popper said.
"Best fits: Lions, Steelers, Bills, Jaguars," he added.
The Eagles signed Woolen to a one-year, $12 million contract, which means he could leave in free agency in 2027 for nothing. With Philly going nowhere fast, it makes sense to unload him to make sure that doesn't happen.
How Woolen can help Bills
According to Pro Football Focus, Woolen's coverage grade in 2026 is a healthy 68.3, which ranks 25th at the position.
That mark ranks higher than both Igbinosun's (48.2) and Hairston's (36.4), and even No. 1 cornerback Christian Benford's (53.6).
While Woolen's raw coverage numbers haven't been great (53.3% completion rate, 108.5 passer rating), he is still doing better than all three of the Bills' top-three cornerbacks in completion rate allowed, and he has a superior passer rating permitted than Benford and Hairston.
Another plus with Woolen is his experience, something he has more of than Hairston and Igbinosun combined. He also has a Super Bowl ring, which is particularly intriguing for a Bills team gunning for that exact thing in 2026.
While we'd love for the Bills to swing a bit higher in their pursuit of a cornerback addition, the elite of the elite rarely become available.
Woolen would be a fine consolation prize who will come at the reasonable price of a Day 3 pick.
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