2012 NFL Free Agency: How the David Hawthorne Signing Helped the Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills standout offseason just got a little bit better—and the team didn’t have to do a single thing.

On Tuesday evening, former Seahawks linebacker David Hawthorne signed a five-year contract with the Saints, effectively opening up a hole on the Seattle defense.

Hawthorne was a productive, primarily two-down run stuffer for Seattle, and many presumed he’d ink a new deal with the team, perhaps for one-year in order to re-enter the market next offseason.

But that has all changed, and the Bills are winners because of it.

How, you ask?

The Bills stand at pick 10 in the upcoming draft, just ahead of the Chiefs and Seahawks, who had to flip a coin to settle a tiebreaker and determine the draft order between the two. 

The Chiefs and Seahawks not only had identical records to finish off last season, they share a need for an upgrade at linebacker this offseason, and should both be interested in Boston College’s Luke Kuechly.

In fact, each team has been extensively linked to Kuechly, who won nearly every major defensive award in college football during the 2011 season.

He’s not just an impressive prospect, he’s considered by many to be the defensive player most ready to contribute on an NFL roster from day one. 

Should Kuechly remain available by the time the Bills pick, a bidding war may sprout between the Chiefs and Seahawks.  If Seattle at least feigns interest in leapfrogging Kansas City to pluck Kuechly, the Chiefs may counteract by offering a package to Buffalo just to move up a single spot (something in the range of a late round draft pick).

Trading in the NFL—and specifically on draft day—has always been about leverage. 

In sitting one pick ahead of two teams in search of the same player—and the only one at that position worth taking that high—the Bills suddenly hold major first round leverage.