No New Targets: Will Buffalo Regret Not Adding at the Trade Deadline?

A grueling 30-13 loss against divisional rivals Miami isn’t what Josh Allen and the Bills would have hoped for as they drop to 6-3 on the season. However despite the Dolphins putting on an excellent offensive performance, one thing that was clear is that Buffalo are still having receiving issues, and it is obvious that they don’t have an out-and-out number one guy. Did they stay too stagnant at the deadline? Here’s why they should’ve made a bigger push at getting a true WR1.

As Kahlil Shakir led the Bills in receiving yards yesterday with 58, Keon Coleman being a close second with 46, Josh Allen doesn’t seem to have that number one receiver that every great team and QB has, and it poses the question of whether they were too distant at the trade deadline, and now the signs are showing clearly that they should’ve made a move. 

The Bills are blessed with a very deep receiving core with the likes of Coleman, Shakir, Dawson Knox, and Dalton Kincaid, however even though they spread the play very broadly, and have a good set of reliable guys, they really don’t have an X-factor receiver on their team, and as much as fans hate to admit, it is definitely holding them back. 

The Bills are a team who have dominated the AFC for a long time, but haven’t got that special something that is capable of pushing them over the line, and in this year’s case, that seems to be in the receiver department. Per Tom Pelissero, the Bills did try and make a big splash at the deadline, targeting the Dolphins very own Jaylen Waddle as their number one deadline candidate, and are believed to have offered a 2027 first round pick and a 2026 third round pick for the elite receiver. The deal was later rejected as the Dolphins were asking for a 2026 first rounder, however the Bills declined, but in hindsight they should have reconsidered.

A player like Waddle would have been exactly what the Bills needed. An X-factor guy who would have been the perfect number one guy for Allen, and is the type of guy you need to add to go all in. Even though the deal was turned down, the Bills weren't short of options, with the likes of Jakobi Meyers and Brian Thomas Jr potentially being options, the Bills at least needed a guy who can slip into a number one role, but they missed their chance, and they look back on it as a very big mistake.