Bills Urged to Trade for ‘Breakout’ Linebacker After Injuries

The Buffalo Bills have been bitten by the injury bug early in this NFL season, but one insider believes they could find help on the trade block.

The Bills lost starting linebacker Matt Milano in training camp, then saw top nickel cornerback Taron Johnson go down early in the season-opening win over the Arizona Cardinals. The second game brought another major injury as linebacker Terrel Bernard suffered a pectoral injury expected to keep him out for a few weeks.

Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox suggested the Bills could find some help from the Indianapolis Colts, trading for linebacker E.J. Speed after his “breakout” campaign in 2023.

Bills Could Grab Linebacker on Rental Basis

Knox noted that the Colts have fallen to 0-2 so far and may not be planning a fire sale just yet, but could turn into sellers as the trade deadline approaches. He suggested the Bills could take a run at Speed, who is set to be a free agent and could join the team as a one-year rental.

“Speed, who had a breakout 102-tackle campaign last season, is set to be a free agent in 2025. He’s a fast, physical, do-it-all linebacker who should draw trade interest even if Indianapolis isn’t necessarily selling,” Knox wrote, adding that Speed already has 21 total tackles and a quarterback hit this season while holding opposing quarterbacks to a passer rating fo 56.2 in coverage.

“The Buffalo Bills might want to consider Speed after losing linebacker Terrel Bernard to a pectoral injury in Week 2. His absence is expected to be an extended one,” Knox added.

Over the course of his six-year NFL career, Speed has a total of 233 tackles and 2.0 sacks.

Knox suggested that there could be competition for Speed if he does end up on the trade block. He named the Philadelphia Eagles as another potential landing spot, suggesting the Bills may need to pay a relatively high price to land him.

Bills Rule Out Terrel Bernard for Monday Night Football

The Bills have already reached a decision on Bernard for their Week 3 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, ruling him out for the Monday Night Football matchup. Head coach Sean McDermott announced that third-year linebacker Baylon Spector will start at middle linebacker, with second-year linebacker Dorina Williams playing at weakside linebacker.

McDermott noted that the pair already have experience playing together, finishing out the 31-10 win over the Miami Dolphins on September 12.

“It’s an opportunity for Baylon and Dorian to work together, like they did in the back half of the game, or really, the majority of the game the other night,” McDermott said.

 

 

McDermott added that Johnson will also miss Monday’s game, putting more pressure on the secondary. The Bills turned to former practice squad player Ja’Marcus Ingram in Thursday’s win over the Dolphins and the former University of Buffalo cornerback responded with the best game of his NFL career. He recorded two interceptions against Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, running one of them back for a touchdown in what would be the game’s only score in the second half.