Trading Von Miller among ‘shocking’ proposed Bills deals

It’s clear that the Buffalo Bills are in a season of transition, which has prompted several reporters to speculate about the club’s future and what steps they can take to re-enter Super Bowl contention. Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine recently detailed some of the moves he believes Buffalo should consider in an article titled “Shocking Trade Ideas the Bills Should Pursue Ahead of the 2024 Season,” an amalgamation of logically sound proposals, but perhaps realistically unachievable, which serve as a reminder that the bills are at a very strange crossroads in constituting their list.

Ballentine’s first proposal is to trade veteran passer Von Miller, noting the team could save about $8.8 million by trading him after June 1. The idea of ​​moving on from Miller has been on the minds of many in Western New York since the Bills. The 2023 season ended at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round.

Buffalo made a splash in the 2022 offseason by signing Miller to a six-year, $120 million contract, and it initially paid dividends, with the pass-rusher notching eight sacks before tearing his ACL midway through the season. 2022 season. He then returned in 2023 and collected a whopping zero sacks and just three tackles. Anyone who looked at Miller could see that he wasn’t himself; he didn’t have the same flash and drive that helped him build a Hall of Fame-caliber career.

What do the Bills gain by trading Miller? Well, adding $8.8 million to the cap is good. Because of the way Miller rebuilt his contract, his base salary for the new season is only $1.5 million, meaning finding a potential trade partner for Miller shouldn’t be impossible.

But this is Von Miller we’re talking about. Two-time Super Bowl winner, player with 123.5 career sacks. If Miller can return to being the player he was when he first signed with Buffalo, the Bills will not only have a top-five defense, but will return this season as a Super Bowl contender. Ballentine had this to say about it: “But the cap savings might be worth more to the Bills than hoping Miller becomes an effective player again.”

Related: Where does the Bills’ starting CB duo rank among the best in the league?

The analyst’s second proposal sees the team pursuing Arizona Cardinals offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson following the offseason departures of Mitch Morse and Ryan Bates. Wilkinson has experience across the entire offensive line, logging significant snaps at guard and right tackle throughout his career, and the Cards are a rebuilding team. They also recently addressed the offensive line position by drafting Isaiah Adams and Christian Jones. Although Wilkinson just re-signed with Arizona, they have depth throughout the unit.

And Buffalo could use some help on the offensive line, as it could potentially add a rookie and a second-year player to its line this year. The addition of Wilkinson would be a veteran presence with 45 starts under his belt. During the 2023 season, Wilkinson also allowed just three sacks on 501 snaps, according to PFF. The Bills would add not only a veteran presence, but a talented presence as well.

Ballentine’s final (and flashiest) trade idea sees the team making a play for Tampa Bay Buccaneers edge rusher Joe Tryon-Shoyinka; he’s an interesting prospect because he’s a former first-round pick, has all the physical tools, and has excellent size for an edge rusher.

However, his potential does not match his production.

Since being drafted in 2021, Tryon-Shoyinka has only 13.0 career sacks. He is coming off his best season with 5.0 sacks and has started to show flashes of that potential. But he’s at an interesting point in his career where the Bucs could get a decent trade package for him, he could be re-signed to the Bucs for a modest contract, or hit free agency and bet on himself. This would be a dramatic move for the Bills, as it is a low-risk, high-reward deal in which they can potentially mold the former first-round pick to his potential. Ballentine had this to say about Tryon-Shoyinka and the Bills: “A fresh start in a new system could be just what he needs to get his career back on track. His durability and youth alone would make him a good addition to the Bills’ rotation and he could be available for a cheaper price than one might think based on his performance.

These are of course all hypotheticals, but which of these trades would you like to see the Bills pursue? Wilkinson’s instant impact? Tryon-Shoyinka’s potential? Or the loss of Miller?