All 32 NFL teams officially have one week to make trades to either bring in difference-makers to hep in their push for a playoff spot, or to sell their talent for draft capital to accelerate their rebuild. The trade deadline is set to take place on Tuesday, Oct. 31, at 4:00 p.m. ET. There were some moves made ahead of the deadline, like the Philadelphia Eagles acquiring safety Kevin Byard from the Tennessee Titans, the Denver Broncos trading defensive end Randy Gregory to the San Francisco 49ers, and the Kansas City Chiefs bringing back wide receiver Mecole Hardman after a deal with the New York Jets.
The Buffalo Bills are firm contenders in the AFC this season, but they have been far from dominant, as evidenced by their narrow win over the New York Giants in Week 5 and their loss to the then-one-loss New England Patriots in Week 6. Could a move be on the horizon?
On Tuesday, ESPN's Field Yates revealed that the Bills had restructured left tackle Dion Dawkins' contract, freeing up around $3.9 million in cap space by converting his base salary into a signing bonus.
Bills restructure Dion Dawkins contract ahead of NFL trade deadline
This move being made just a week before the trade deadline certainly has Bills fans speculating whether they freed up that cap space to bring in a player for the second half of the season and to make a push for the playoffs. This doesn't mean that a trade is imminent necessarily. Rather, it's to free up space in case they make a move ahead of the deadline.
The Bills are dealing with some significant injuries. Cornerback Tre'Davious White is out for the season due to a torn Achilles. Linebacker Matt Milano is likely done for the year with a broken leg. Defensive tackle DaQuan Jones is out indefinitely due to a torn pectoral muscle.
Not to mention, the Bills could improve upon some areas. They could acquire another wide receiver for quarterback Josh Allen to target alongside Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis. Or, bring in a big running back to help take some pressure off Allen on offense.
The Bills play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Thursday. From there, they should get a better idea of what they should do at the deadline. It also helps that they will have extra time to evaluate the team after the game before the deadline.