Shocking Trade Ideas Bills Should Pursue Before 2023 Season

The Buffalo Bills should be in Super Bowl-or-bust mode entering the 2023 season. With one of the best quarterbacks in the league, a top defense and a team with plenty of experience, the franchise needs to break through.

Buffalo has found out that it isn't easy to go from great to elite in recent seasons. The Bills have won 10 or more games in each of the last four campaigns and have one trip to the AFC Championship Game to show for it.

Sometimes it takes a big swing in a trade to push a team over the top. One aggressive move could be the difference between heading home early and lifting the Lombardi Trophy—and the Bills are one of those teams.

On the other end, the Bills also need a long-term strategy that enables them to compete for as long as the Josh Allen window is open, so it's also worth considering trading someone whose contract they don't plan on extending or could save them money.

Here are three trade ideas that pursue at least one of those goals.

Trade for Dalvin Cook

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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JANUARY 15: Dalvin Cook #4 of the Minnesota Vikings rushes during the first half against the New York Giants in the NFC Wild Card playoff game at U.S. Bank Stadium on January 15, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

A lot of the Bills' offseason moves have pointed to a desire to get more out of their running game. Buffalo has relied heavily on Allen's ability to gain yards on the ground.

Taking O'Cyrus Torrence and Dalton Kincaid early in the 2023 draft signals a desire to become more versatile. Torrence is a bully of a guard who will help reestablish a new line of scrimmage on run plays and who excels at displacing defenders in the run game.

Kincaid will allow the Bills to work in more 12 personnel. The Bills used one running back and two tight ends just 4 percent of the time, per 33rd Team. That was the lowest rate in the league.

The Bills could put an exclamation point on this trend toward becoming more physical and versatile by trading for Dalvin Cook. The move would unite Cook with younger brother James and give the Bills a legitimate back who could take pressure and volume away from Allen.

There have been rumors that Cook is headed toward a split with the Vikings all offseason. They can clear $11 million against the cap by trading him after June 1, per Spotrac.

The Bills should at least investigate what it's going to cost, and if they can make it work, he's worthy of a late Day 2 or early Day 3 pick.

Trade Ed Oliver

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Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver (91) lines up for a play against the Green Bay Packers during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Trading Ed Oliver doesn't help the team win a Super Bowl in 2023, but it still might be the best long-term move.

Oliver may have only had 2.5 sacks last season, but he posted 29 total pressures, per Sports Info Solutions.

Oliver's play leaves the Bills in a precarious position. He's been good, but he's in the final year of his rookie contract, which means the organization is about to have to put a price tag on how much he means to it.

His market value on Spotrac is calculated at $41.8 million over four years. It's hard to envision him settling for something in that range when Daron Payne just got a four-year, $90 million deal from the Washington Commanders, though.

If the Bills let him walk next season, the best-case scenario is netting a third-round compensatory pick. If they can get something higher than that, it's the rare case where it's worth considering even though they should otherwise be buyers in the trade market.

Trade for Austin Ekeler

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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - JANUARY 14: Austin Ekeler #30 of the Los Angeles Chargers carries the ball against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half of the game in the AFC Wild Card playoff game at TIAA Bank Field on January 14, 2023 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)

If the Bills are seeking an upgrade at running back, plenty of hypothetical trade targets exist. Cook is an option, but so are Derrick Henry and Austin Ekeler.

Henry is scary because his massive workload has to catch up with him eventually. Ekeler is a little safer because of how much of his value comes as a receiver. He's never had more than 206 carries in a season.

Ekeler has backed off the trade request he made this offseason after having $2 million in incentives added to his contract. But that's a short-term fix for the player and club, as he can become a free agent after this season.

On one hand, it would be shocking for Ekeler to be traded after the Chargers publicly made adjustments to keep him around. On the other, L.A. could have done that to keep him from torpedoing his value on the market.

A trade that would send Oliver to the Chargers and bring Ekeler to the Bills would be shocking, but would actually help the Bills on two different fronts. Paying Ekeler on a new contract is going to be cheaper than paying Oliver, and it would still help the Bills reach their goal of playing for a championship.