NFL
By: Randall Slifer
The Buffalo Bills made their first big splash in free agency and acquired DJ Moore through a trade with the Bears. Now, I am an armchair GM, so I am certainly guilty of this. Every time your favorite team makes a trade, every single armchair GM will review it. It’s like they’re on the streets of New York City haggling for the fake Rolex. “I would have gotten DJ Moore for a 4th rounder”. Trading is tough in the NFL. You need 2 parties to tango, and the team willing to trade always holds the better leverage. Let’s take a look at a couple of big trades that happened recently, including the Buffalo Bills trade for DJ Moore:
Indianapolis Colts: Sent 2 first-round picks + AD Mitchell to acquire NY Jets, CB Sauce Gardner
Buffalo Bills: Sent a 2nd round pick to acquire CHI WR DJ Moore + a 5th round pick
LA Rams: Sent a 1st, 5th, 6th, 2027 3rd round picks for KC DB Trent McDuffie
In light of how NFL trades are unfolding, this is acceptable given what players are going for these days. DJ Moore’s money works to 24.5 million for each of the first two years. Buffalo will restructure his contract this year. He will carry a cap hit of just over 6 million for this upcoming season. The Buffalo Bills will have roughly $35 million to spend on free agency, so we are still sitting at around $30 million to spend. Let’s take a look at DJ Moore and what free agency pickups should be on Buffalo’s wishlist:
What does DJ Moore bring to the table?
DJ Moore brings everything Buffalo needs to begin rebuilding the wide receiver room for future years. During the 2025 season, the glaring issue is that opposing defenses had no big threat on the outside to worry about. So, they did not have to mold their defensive game plan around Buffalo’s offense. They could keep the status quo, play easy man coverage. They could rush 5-6 guys, knowing Josh Allen would not have enough time. A Buffalo wide receiver could not get open or let the play develop.
DJ Moore is not a “WR1” by any means, but he is a WR1 for Buffalo. Moore can open up the rest of the wide receivers to create different mismatches and allow each receiver to grow. DJ Moore is lethal on screen passes and yards after the catch. This allows Khalil Shakir to open up and be more of an outside/inside receiver. In turn, it allows him to catch more balls past 10 yards. Josh Palmer is a WR3, and last year, teams treated him as the WR1. So he had no room to grow in his first year due to injuries. In single high safety, more times than not, the safety will drift to DJ Moore’s side of the field and leave Keon Coleman with 1-on-1s on the outside.
Now the question remains, will DJ Moore fulfill his contract money and the pick Buffalo gave up for him? Bills Mafia is not looking for any moral victories in locker-room attitude or leadership, even though those elements are very important. The Bills Mafia is looking for a 1,000-yard receiver that they have been missing since Stefon Diggs. Bills Mafia gets that.
DJ Moore has posted 1,000 yards 4 times in his career and had a 3-year streak of 1,000 yards. Here is a list of Quarterbacks DJ Moore has had in his career: Cam Newton, Kyle Allen, Taylor Heinecke, Teddy Bridgewater, Will Grier, Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield (Before both resurged), PJ Walker, Justin Fields, Tyson Bagent, and Caleb Williams. Past Cam Newton, the only viable quarterback we can talk about is Caleb Williams.
Caleb Williams had some growing pains. Chicago changed coaches during the two years he was in the league. DJ Moore was already part of the plan. The Bears acquired a lot of pass catchers throughout the draft, including Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland, and Luther Burden III. Chicago wanted youth with Caleb, and they began phasing out DJ Moore, which led to a lackluster 2025 season. On top of that, Caleb Williams is not the most accurate passer. He had a 57% completion in 2025 and an adjusted completion percentage of 69.4%, which accounts for drops. Caleb Williams’ pass catchers dropped 34 balls, but DJ Moore dropped 3 balls in 2025. Caleb also led the league in off-target throws at 22%. Now, DJ Moore is heading to Buffalo with Josh Allen.
Josh Allen has said that he does not need his wide receivers to run precise routes, but to get open. DJ Moore is exactly that. He is one of the best separators in the league, but he uses tempo and his athleticism in his route running more than he uses precision. For example, on crossing routes, he uses tempo in his route to separate by running his crosser and picking up top speed halfway through, then creating yards after the catch. From 2019-2024, the fewest targets DJ Moore had in one year were 109 targets. He is a high-volume receiver who will command attention, all while getting a 1,000-yard receiver back in Buffalo, NY.
WR is in the books. Who should Buffalo target in free agency?
There are still rumors swirling that Buffalo is not done in the wide receiver market. However, they should invest the rest of their free agency dollars in defense. Jim Leonhard will be calling plays for the first time in the NFL. I would rather give him players in the league than have him develop rookies while installing a brand-new defensive scheme in Buffalo. Here are a couple of targets I would love for Buffalo to acquire come next week:
Edge/LB – Jaelan Phillips – 26 yrs old – 6’5 263lb -Market Value: 17M
2025 Stats: 76 Pressures, 5 Sacks, 11 QB Hits, 34 Tackles
Buffalo went with the 10-12 million-dollar edge on Joey Bosa last year, and it did not quite work out. Jaelan Phillips is young and ascending, and Buffalo can sign him with a cap hit as low as 5 million dollars. He would enter as a top edge in Buffalo and be able to sign and earn a higher contract after Buffalo.
iDL/NT – Roy Lopez – 28 yrs old – 6’2 318lb – Market Value: 7M
2025 Stats: 13 Pressures, 3 Sacks, 2 QB Hits, 30 Tackles, 4 TFL
Roy Lopez brings some veteran violence to the interior of the defensive line after losing DaQuan Jones. Buffalo will need more of a nose tackle in the middle, and pigeon-holing Deone Walker in the nose tackle position is not a good idea. Roy Lopez gives Buffalo a starting nose tackle and the ability to pick up another in the draft.
LB – Shaq Thompson – 32 yrs old – 6’0 230lb – Market Value: 3M
2025 Stats: 6 Pressures, 1 Sack, 1 QB Hit, 56 tackles, 6 TFL
Shaq Thompson saved the Buffalo Bills’ season last year by solidifying the linebacker room, which was absolutely awful until he came in. Thompson, with the familiarity of Buffalo and the players around him, can pair him with Leo Chenal and work together to create what Leonhard wants in the 2nd level of the defense.
CB – Asante Samuel Jr – 26 yrs old – 5’10 180lb – Market Value: 3M
Asante Samuel Jr. had a rough year last year with medical concerns and questions about whether he would be able to play. He finally got a clean bill of health and was on the Steelers roster late last year. He is a young, solid cornerback who could slow-roll the 2026 season as a backup to Maxwell Hairston, who suffered two injuries last year.
S – PJ Locke – 29 yrs old – 5’10 202lb – Market Value: 4M
PJ Locke was a backup safety in Denver for Jim Leonhard. He played great coming off the bench, and he may be ready for a starting role. Locke brings two special things to Buffalo’s defense. First, there needs to be competition for the role next to Cole Bishop. Cole Bishop works best when he can be all over the field, and he cannot rely on picking up the slack for his free safety. Second, PJ Locke can help the defensive back room understand and show how Leonhard’s system works and fits. PJ Locke and Leo Chenal are perfect pieces to help Leonhard facilitate his defense in Buffalo.
What are some pieces you would like to see the Buffalo Bills pick up in Free Agency as it begins next week on March 11th? Let me know if the comments or reach out to me on Twitter @RandallSlifer!
