The Buffalo Bills have opened the season at 4-1, yet their secondary continues to leak yardage even as the defensive front has shown clear gains under new coordinator Jim Leonhard’s 3-4 scheme.
With the trade deadline approaching, some analysts are pointing to a high-priced veteran safety as a potential remedy.
Randy Gurzi of Bills on SI has singled out Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James as a logical target.
The Chargers sit at 0-5 and have not publicly indicated they will sell assets, but a winless start often forces teams to reassess before the deadline.
James, who turns 30 this season, recently signed a three-year extension worth roughly $75.6 million that made him the highest-paid safety in the league at the time.
Because he is no longer a young building block, a contending team could view him as a short-term upgrade rather than a long-term cornerstone.
The Bills already faced James and the Chargers in Week 3 and came away with a victory, so they have fresh tape of how he operates in a struggling defense.
Landing him would almost certainly require a meaningful draft-pick package and the willingness to absorb a large salary.
James’ versatility—he has lined up near the line of scrimmage and in nickel packages in recent years—could address some of the communication and coverage breakdowns that have plagued Buffalo’s back end.
Gurzi also mentioned Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker as another established option. Baker brings similar experience and physicality, though his contract situation and the Cardinals’ own competitive outlook would shape any trade talks.
Neither deal would be simple; both players carry significant financial commitments that the Bills would need to fit under their salary-cap structure.
Internally, the Bills have another path. Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic has floated the idea of moving veteran C.J. Gardner-Johnson to a reserve role and elevating Damar Hamlin into the starting lineup alongside Cole Bishop.
Buscaglia has argued that Bishop’s performance has been solid if unspectacular, and that Hamlin’s reliability in coverage assignments could stabilize the position without a major roster move.
That approach would preserve draft capital and avoid taking on another large contract.
Whether the Bills pursue an external addition or adjust their current personnel, the secondary remains the clearest defensive question mark as they push toward the postseason. A bold deadline acquisition like James could accelerate their title hopes, but it would also carry real cost and risk.
With several weeks still left before the deadline, general manager Brandon Beane has time to weigh the price of outside help against the simpler option of giving Hamlin a larger role.
