The Buffalo Bills don’t need another tight end, right? Dalton Kincaid has emerged as a Travis Kelce like 1A target for reigning MVP Josh Allen. Dawson Knox has been a fan favorite depth piece, and despite taking an obvious back seat to Kincaid in the passing game, he was still playing more than 50% of the team’s offensive snaps before Kincaid’s injury.
However, there is certainly a case to be made for All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews, who ESPN ranks as the sixth best player available at the NFL trade deadline.
“The three-time Pro Bowler is a tried-and-true Raven, and Baltimore is still holding out faith that it can make a playoff run despite the 1-5 start,” writes Jeremy Fowler. “But shipping pass rusher Odafe Oweh to the Chargers surprised many around the league, and the franchise seems open to at least evaluating the future of key veterans.”
The writing is on the wall that Andrews could be on the move, but the idea that the Baltimore Ravens could be willing to send him to the AFC competitor that knocked them out of the playoffs last year seems a little foreign. Still, the ESPN crew named the Buffalo Bills as one of the top three trade fits across the league.
The Bills were mentioned alongside the Jacksonville Jaguars (AFC) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFC).
Bills Can Rent Mark Andrews
When it comes to deadline trades, the only thing anybody cares about is the contract. If your team has a losing record, and you are entering a contract year, you should consider yourself on the trading block.
This is the case for the 30-year-old currently in his eighth career season. The trade rumors began before the season even started, with Andrews having to come out and deny the rumors on multiple occasions. However, ESPN points out that after starting 1-5, if things get any worse the Ravens have one more reason to move on.
“Andrews is making $11 million in the final year of his deal, and tight end Isaiah Likely is also set to hit free agency, probably forcing the Ravens to make some sort of action at the position eventually,” Fowler concludes.
This means a team could rent a player like Andrews in order to make a Super Bowl run with no real financial ties. Should things not work out, Andrews would be off the books come March. If he turns out to be a perfect match, the Bills would have the first crack at a proven red zone threat.
The Bills Already Run Three Tight End Sets
Finally, it’s not like the Bills aren’t using multiple tight ends. Kincaid is a top ten receiving tight end, but, having already missed a game with an oblique injury, his back up Dawson Knox has logged more snaps than him.
But even going down to the third string tight end Jackson Hawes, you discover that the snap share stays similar. In games when both Kincaid and Knox were healthy, Hawes still played 43%, 47%, and 53% of snaps.
Andrews would be an upgrade over Knox, and certainly provides more upside than Hawes. This makes the outside of the box trade scenario look a lot more attractive.
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