The Buffalo Bills finally got the secondary help they were looking for on Tuesday, landing safety Amani Hooker from Tennessee after missing out on Jessie Bates and Budda Baker. General manager Brandon Beane sent a 2027 second-round pick to the Titans for Hooker and a fifth round pick, after the Cardinals turned down a quality Day 2 pick for Baker.
Why it matters
The need was obvious. Buffalo can score with anybody, but its pass defence is ranked 29th in the league at 238.8 yards per game after Monday night win over the Minnesota Vikings, and the Bills needed a safety after releasing C.J. Gardner-Johnson last week, a move that left Damar Hamlin and Cole Bishop as the starting pair with little depth behind them. Beane had also chased Jessie Bates before the Jaguars landed him, so Hooker was the third target, not the first.
Baker was the bigger swing. The eight time Pro Bowler is signed only through next season, Arizona could save 17.8 million dollars in cap space by moving him in the spring, and reports said Baker would not mind being traded to a contender. The Cardinals declined anyway, and the Bills moved on to Hooker, who may be the better fit for a defence that needs a steady hand more than a star.
What happens next
The deadline was busy across the league. The Jaguars added defensive help after landing Bates, the Vikings brought back Kirk Cousins from the Raiders, and the Eagles stockpiled draft picks. But the Bills move is the one that addresses the clearest weakness on a contender, and Beane comment after the deadline made plain that the team knew it had to act.
What happens next will be decided by whether Hooker steadies a secondary that has been the weak link on a Super Bowl contender. The Bills offence can win any game, and the defence has the pass rush to close them out. What it needed was a safety who could hold the back end together, and Tuesday was the day to find one. The Bills pass defence ranks 29th in the league at 238.8 yards per game, and Hooker arrives with a fifth round pick in the deal.
