The Buffalo Bills will move on from a veteran member of their secondary at the 2024 NFL trade deadline whether they move him or not. After the Tuesday deadline, the team will release safety Mike Edwards unless they are somehow able to trade him.
Edwards requested his release from the team and had his wish granted, per Tom Pelissero. He only appeared in three games in the year and did not start in any of them behind Taylor Rapp and Damar Hamlin.
Edwards, 28, has spent most of his six-year career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He won a Super Bowl with the team in 2021 before winning another ring in 2023 in his lone season with the Kansas City Chiefs. He would sign with Buffalo in free agency just months after celebrating his second championship.
Without Edwards on the team, the Bills only list second-round rookie Cole Bishop as a backup safety behind Rapp and Hamlin. However, Buffalo currently has veterans Lewis Cline and Kareem Jackson on their practice squad who they may elevate if they are unable to find external options.
As a free agent, Edwards is expected to sign with a new team to end the year. The Kentucky alum has gained a reputation as a ball-hawk safety throughout his career with eight interceptions from 2020 to 2023.
Bills could seek further trades at 2024 deadline
As one of the top 2024 Super Bowl contenders, the Bills are a team many are keeping their eyes on at the 2024 NFL trade deadline. Buffalo has already made a big move on the year, trading for star receiver Amari Cooper, but could potentially eye an addition on defense.
Along with their lack of depth at safety, the Bills could also use reinforcements in their front seven. The team lost star linebacker Matt Milano at the beginning of the year, with Terrel Bernard also in and out of the lineup all season. Their lack of consistency up front has led to allowing 4.8 yards per carry to opposing offenses, the seventh-worst mark in the league.
Buffalo might also seek a positional change at kicker with Tyler Bass struggling all season long. However, Bass might have extended his time with the team in Week 9 by hitting a career-long 61-yarder with five seconds remaining to beat the Miami Dolphins.
Of the top teams in the league, the Bills are not one expected to make any further big moves at the deadline. Yet, they remain a team to watch in the closing hours with several big names being dragged across the league as potential trade targets.
