Bills Get Good News on Rumored WR Trade Target
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Jakobi Meyers could be a fit for the Arizona Cardinals.
The Buffalo Bills could be seeking some help for their offense at the upcoming NFL trade deadline, and the path to one talented wide receiver may have just gotten a bit easier.
The Bills have struggled on offense over the course of their last two games, losses to the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons. Quarterback Josh Allen has faced increasing pressure as his receivers struggled to get separation, which has prompted some insiders to predict the Bills will add more help at the trade deadline.
Las Vegas Raiders receiver Jakobi Meyers has been identified as a top target, and Meyers made it clear this week that he wants to find a new NFL home.
Jakobi Meyers Repeats Trade Request
Meyers had already asked the Raiders for a trade, though said he would continue to do his best no matter what the team decided. The veteran receiver reiterated this week that he still wants to be traded.
“Oh for sure,” Meyers said, via ESPN’s Ryan McFadden, replying to a question about whether his trade request still stands. “But I’m a professional at the end of the day. I’m just trying to play good football.”
Meyers is seen as a good fit for a Bills team that has struggled to get production from its wideouts. Reporter Nick Brinkerhoff of USA Today noted that Philadelphia Eagles receiver A.J. Brown could be the bigger prize, but he’s not likely to move.
That makes Meyers the best one that could be realistic for the Bills to add, Briknerhoff wrote.
“As for the more realistic targets, Meyers headlines the bunch. The Raiders’ receiver requested a trade during the offseason after contract extension talks failed to progress and plays for a team that appears primed to miss the playoffs,” Brinkerhoff wrote.
Meyers would likely be a one-year rental for the Bills, Brinkerhoff added.
“Meyers is set to hit free agency, meaning he is a pure rental from the trade market perspective,” Brinkerhoff wrote. “He has become somewhat of a forgotten man after posting his first 1,000-yard receiving season in 2024, further opening the door for a deal. The seventh-year pro is a good candidate to be on the move as Vegas shifts their focus to the youth in their receiver room.”
Bills Could Address Other Areas
The Bills will likely need some help in other areas, including their secondary. The team has been hit with a number of injuries, including two promising rookie cornerbacks in Maxwell Hairston and Dorian Strong.
The team got some good news this week when they opened the 21-day practice window for Hairston to return from injured reserve, but it remains unclear when he could actually hit the field for the first time since training camp.
The Bills could look to add some veteran help to their secondary, targeting a player like cornerback Rasul Douglas from the Miami Dolphins. Douglas was a regular starter for the Bills last season and could provide some trusted depth until Hairston is fully recovered and up to speed.
1 Quiet Reason the Raiders' Offense Has Struggled This Season
The Las Vegas Raiders' offense has struggled this season for various reasons, mainly subpar play along the offensive line and at quarterback. However, the lack of playmakers at skill positions, for various reasons, have held the Raiders' offense back.
Raiders Rookies Must Improve
The Raiders invested a second-round pick into drafting Jack Bech, proving how much they believed in him before he ever put a Raiders jersey on. However, Bech must do his part and work through the growing pains only the Raiders' coaching staff knows about.
Bech and Dont'e Thornton were brought in to be two of those playmakers but have yet to make much of an impact. Bech's lack of playing time on an offense in desperate need of help at wide receiver speaks volumes about where Las Vegas' coaching staff believes he is developmentally.
“The more plays that we can log with the new guys, Jack [Bech] and Dont'e [Thornton Jr.], we can show them the things that they need to improve on and the things that they're not quite as sharp on. It helps them. And there's some pain in that too. There's some pain in there that we have to undergo. But it's how you do it,” Carroll said.
“By the time you get to the middle of the season, these guys should have things really cleaned up, and they should be ready to go and we can count on them and they can come through and not be error repeaters, you know? And that's what we're working hard at."
During the Bye Week, Raiders' Wide Receivers Coach Chris Beatty gave an update on the development of both of Las Vegas' wide receivers. If the Raiders can get Bech and Thornton up to speed quickly, it could alleviate some of the issues they are having on offense.
"Some ups and downs. We have got to be more consistent. Both of those guys are learning a lot. Theres good and bad in everything. First couple of games, Dont'e had an explosive play in every game," Beatty said.
"He has kind of fell back a little bit and some of the fundamentals, we have got to continue to build on. Same thing with Jack. They have done okay but there is a lot more out there. So, we will keep pushing them and getting the most out of them."
