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· Brisbane Times
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Maddening as it might be to fans clamoring for the Buffalo Bills to swing for the fences and make a deal, any deal, general manager Brandon Beane approaches each NFL trade deadline toeing the line of being aggressive versus reckless.
It’s a delicate balance in which Beane is mindful of weighing the long-term implications of preserving a contending roster with a 30-year-old Josh Allen in his prime, and the short-term benefits of making a win-now splash and paying for it later with a bloated salary cap.
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On Tuesday, Beane found his sweet spot in shoring up Buffalo’s secondary. He acquired a proven starter in safety Amani Cooper in a deal with the Tennessee Titans.
Buffalo gave up a second-round pick to land the eight-year veteran, and Beane scrambled to restructure left tackle Dion Dawkins’ contract to fit Hooker — and the final two years on his remaining contract — under the cap.
“Sometimes the best deal is no deal. And that’s not what people want to hear,” Beane said.
“Fortunately today, we were excited about this deal and were able to get it to the finish line," he added. “To add a starter, difference-maker, that’s exciting."
And it's a far better place to be than a visibly frustrated Beane was a year ago, when he struck out in his bid to acquire a much-needed receiver to a group that lacked a deep-threat option.
Beane addressed the receiving need in March by acquiring DJ Moore in a trade with Chicago. And it became incumbent on him this week to turn his attention to a secondary that has been Buffalo’s weak spot to open the season.
Hooker immediately improves a defense that has been thin and spotty while transitioning under a new coordinator and switching to a 3-4 system. Buffalo opened the season allowing an average of 28.5 points over its first six outings, only to be bailed out by an offense that was scoring 33 points per game in the same span.
The defense has shown signs of improvement in allowing a combined 16 points and 322 yards in Buffalo's past two outings. Rosy as the numbers look, they came against a Ravens opponent down to its third-string quarterback and a sputtering Vikings offense behind backup Carson Wentz.
Minnesota was so unnerved by its offensive output in its 23-6 loss to Buffalo on Monday, the team went out and acquired Kirk Cousins in a trade with Las Vegas a day later.
For Buffalo, adding Hooker was a no-brainer on paper for a team with an AFC-leading 7-1 record and once again entertaining Super Bowl aspirations.
And it came at a time other contenders had already made splashes, including Jacksonville (6-2) appearing to go all-in by acquiring defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Davon Godchaux and safety Jessie Bates III.
Beane said what happened elsewhere didn’t add any pressure on him having to match or play catch-up.
“People always want you to trade for players. I get it,” he said. “But you're never one player away.”
With Hooker, the Bills might at least be one player closer.
What’s working
Scoring. Buffalo’s 23 points were the most allowed by the Vikings this season, with the Bills topping 20 in each of their eight games. It’s Buffalo’s best stretch of scoring 20 or more since a 10-game run in 2024.
What needs help
On the surface not much, though Buffalo could be much better in converting turnovers into points. The Bills settled for two field goals off three Vikings turnovers and have scored just 32 points off 12 takeaways this season.
Stock up
RB James Cook. The NFL’s leading rusher last season has set a team record by topping 75 yards rushing and scoring a TD in seven consecutive games. Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson was the previous player to do so in posting an eight-game run in 2006.
Stock down
WR Josh Palmer. Sixth-year player’s injury-prone tenure in Buffalo continued in being placed on IR because of a hamstring issue. Palmer has not played to expectations after signing a three-year, $36 million contract with Buffalo in March 2025.
Injuries
CB Christian Benford’s status bears monitoring after hurting his wrist.
Key number
42:32 — Bills time of possession against the Vikings, the most by the team in a road game ending in regulation since at least 1981.
Next steps
Travel to the Meadowlands to face division-rival Jets (2-7). The Bills have won five straight and 10 of the past 12 meetings.
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