As the Buffalo Bills approach the 2025 season, they’re facing a significant gap in their secondary after losing a starting cornerback — with no obvious solution in place just yet.
One NFL analyst suggests the Bills could address the need through a trade, potentially acquiring a veteran cornerback seeking a fresh start. With Rasul Douglas departing in free agency after starting 15 games in 2024, Buffalo will likely need to bring in a starting-caliber defensive back to fill the void.
Bills Could Add Depth in Secondary
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton believes the Buffalo Bills could turn to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for help in their secondary, suggesting a trade for cornerback Jamel Dean. Moton proposed that the Bills could acquire Dean for a relatively modest price — a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Dean has underperformed since signing a four-year, $52 million extension with Tampa Bay in 2023. As Moton pointed out, over the past two seasons, the 28-year-old has tallied just 11 pass breakups and one interception while allowing opposing quarterbacks to post passer ratings of 111.0 in 2023 and 91.2 in 2024. Injuries have also been a factor, as Dean has missed nine games during that stretch.
Moton added that the Buccaneers could be open to moving Dean as they look to revamp a secondary that struggled last season. Despite a solid pass rush, Tampa Bay finished near the bottom of the league in passing yards allowed. If the Bucs target a cornerback early in the upcoming draft, Dean could be made available to a Super Bowl contender like Buffalo, which is searching for reinforcements in the secondary.
Bills Have More Moves Ahead
The Buffalo Bills have made some moves to reinforce their secondary, re-signing former cornerback Dane Jackson. Jackson, who spent his first four NFL seasons in Buffalo before departing in free agency last year, returns to provide valuable depth. However, he’s not expected to compete for the starting role left vacant by Rasul Douglas.
Jackson is likely to fill the spot previously held by former first-round pick Kaiir Elam, who struggled to find his footing with the Bills and was traded to the Dallas Cowboys earlier this month.
Meanwhile, the Bills have a key decision looming regarding standout cornerback Christian Benford. A sixth-round pick in 2022, Benford has developed into one of the league’s top performers at his position, surpassing Elam on the depth chart. General manager Brandon Beane confirmed the team is in talks with Benford about a contract extension but declined to offer specifics.
Beane emphasized that retaining and rewarding homegrown talent is central to Buffalo’s long-term strategy.
“Ideally, the goal is to draft, develop — and when I say develop, I mean on and off the field, the complete person and player — and then re-sign,” Beane said, according to SB Nation’s Buffalo Rumblings. “But sometimes the business side gets in the way. We’ve had to let players walk either because we couldn’t afford them or we weren’t aligned on their market value.”
The Bills have already secured several of their core players with extensions in recent weeks. Defensive end Greg Rousseau signed a team-friendly four-year, $80 million deal, and quarterback Josh Allen was locked up through the 2030 season with a record-breaking $330 million contract, including $250 million guaranteed.
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