After trading away Tyrod Taylor to the Cleveland Browns last Friday, general manager Brandon Beane made yet another trade that puts the Bills in great position for the draft. Left tackle Cordy Glenn will be protecting Andy Dalton’s blind spot in Cincinnati. The Bengals and Bills also swapped picks, including the 12th and 21st pick. The Bills now own the 12th and 22nd pick in the first round this year.
With this trade, the Bills now save what would have been an $11.25 million cap hit from Glenn’s contract and they move up nine spots in the draft while managing to still have keep the 22nd pick overall.
Since signing a big extension with the Bills in 2016, Glenn has been limited with many injuries. He only played in eleven games these season while rookie Dion Dawkins saw playing time in 16 games. With Dawkins productivity this year and with him having the much cheaper contract, Glenn was more than likely on his way out.
The Bengals are getting an arguably top 15 or top 10 tackle in the league, when healthy. A big hit that they will take is his contract, but it will be worth it if Glenn can keep defenders off of Dalton. Last season, the Bengals had one of the worst pass protections in the league. Glenn provides them a major improvement.
The Bills set themselves up to possibly get their franchise quarterback in the draft. This latest move by the Bills may not be the last. The team could still package their draft picks to move up higher in the draft if they really want someone specific. They are still too low to get someone like Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen, but could be in a position to get a quarterback like Baker Mayfield or Josh Allen.
This trade shows that the Bills are building something big for next season. It all starts this week with free agency and the draft next month.
Brandon Ray is a Managing Editor for Full Press Coverage and covers the Buffalo Bills. Follow him on Twitter at @brandon_ray79 and @FPC_Bills for Buffalo Bills coverage.
