With Week 9 nearly wrapped, who should buy (Bills, Chiefs) and sell (Commanders) at NFL trade deadline?
- - With Week 9 nearly wrapped, who should buy (Bills, Chiefs) and sell (Commanders) at NFL trade deadline?
Charles RobinsonNovember 3, 2025 at 12:12 AM
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The Buffalo Bills won their fifth straight regular-season title bout with the Kansas City Chiefs, but it came at a steep price: The loss of versatile defensive end Michael Hoecht.
One week after finally making a very impressive season debut for the Bills in Week 8 — after serving a six-game suspension — Hoecht suffered a season-ending Achilles injury against the Chiefs on Sunday. It cast the lone-but-costly shadow over the Bills’ 28-21 win, which once against saw Buffalo put together the kind of performance it just can’t seem to find in the postseason against Kansas City.
Now the Bills have to grapple with the loss of Hoecht on top of defensive tackle Ed Oliver, who had already been lost to a torn biceps that is expected to sideline him through at least the remainder of the regular season.
The silver lining: Hoecht’s injury happened before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, which gives the Bills an opportunity to do something about it. And they should — even with defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi looking capable of filling at least some of the considerable void created by the loss of Oliver. Prior to Sunday’s game, the Bills’ determination to have an active deadline was modest at best. There was motivation to add a wideout if a veteran starter bargain presented itself. Now you can add pass rushing depth to that list of needs inside a season where the Bills have a very real shot to track down the No. 1 seed in the AFC and finally get over their postseason complex against the Chiefs.
The Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes is sacked by the Bills' Michael Hoecht (55) and Greg Rousseau. Mahomes was sacked three times in Sunday's defeat. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images) (Bryan M. Bennett via Getty Images)
That is, if the Chiefs can get themselves together in time to clinch a playoff spot. That’s not a certainty at this point, with Kansas City falling out of the playoff picture after this defeat to the Bills. Sitting at 5-4, the Chiefs are a half game behind the Jacksonville Jaguars (5-3) for the last wild-card spot in the AFC. They have a bye in Week 10, then come out to face the AFC West-leading Denver Broncos in Week 11 on the road, then host the AFC South-leading Indianapolis Colts at home in Week 12. That’s a hairy stretch for a team that saw quarterback Patrick Mahomes pressured repeatedly against the Bills’ front, while once again showcasing that it lacks a big-play element out of the backfield.
Last year, the Chiefs weren’t afraid to take trade shots on wideout DeAndre Hopkins and linebacker Josh Uche, with result that were mixed but not meaningless. While Uche never found a niche with the team, Hopkins factored nicely into nine post-trade regular-season wins and also caught a touchdown in a losing effort in the Super Bowl. He was certainly worth the fifth-round draft pick that he cost Kansas City. And like last year, the Chiefs could use modest help on both sides of the ball — particularly with a more dynamic running back and at least some depth at edge rusher, after seeing the defensive front get pushed around at times by the Bills in Sunday’s loss.
Of course, the Chiefs and Bills aren’t the only teams that experienced some added reasons to be buyers or sellers by Tuesday’s deadline. Among the others who got nudged into a direction on Sunday …
Washington Commanders (sellers)
The Jayden Daniels injury on Sunday night was devastating for a team that was facing a referendum in Week 9 on the remainder of the season. Not only did the Commanders lose to the Seattle Seahawks in stunning fashion, they may have lost Daniels for the remainder of the season in the process. For a team that has a lot of old veterans on it — many of whom are destined for free agency in March — it’s time to stack as much draft capital and salary cap savings as possible. There isn’t much that other teams will be clamoring for, but Deebo Samuel could still be offloaded for a late-round pick to one of the plethora looking for wideouts. Sell.
Cincinnati Bengals (sellers)
At 3-6, the Bengals aren’t going to be piecing together any kind of playoff run or shot at the AFC North title with this defense playing the way it is. And getting Trey Hendrickson back onto the field isn’t going to solve the litany of problems. The Bengals are hopelessly broken on one side of the ball and keeping Hendrickson at this point would be just out of spite. Better to take whatever cap savings they can get in shedding the remainder of his 2025 salary and recouping whatever draft picks they can pry loose in the process. Nobody is going to see it as quitting at this stage — especially after watching Sunday’s ugly defensive performance in a loss to a Chicago Bears offense that had been sputtering. Sell.
Las Vegas Raiders (sellers)
The season is over after the 30-29 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but there is still the matter of wideout Jakobi Meyers having some value on the market. The new data from Sunday? With Brock Bowers healthy, Meyers might not even be a top-four option in the passing game at this stage. Quarterback Geno Smith has been utilizing Bowers and tight end Michael Mayer, along with No. 1 wideout Tre Tucker and running back Ashton Jeanty in the pass game. There’s also an ability to get targets to Tyler Lockett and some younger players. Meyers is a luxury the Raiders can afford but don’t really need in terms of building the future. Sell.
New Orleans Saints (sellers)
At 1-8 and moving to see what rookie quarterback Tyler Shough has through the remainder of the season, the Saints are primed sellers. Maybe not everything, though. Keeping wideout Chris Olave makes sense. But wideout Rashid Shaheed, running back Alvin Kamara and tight end Juwan Johnson could all bring in some draft picks. Considering the Saints are going to be in the running for the No. 1 pick in the draft and a quarterback could be that selection, this is close to a total tear-down situation. There’s no need to keep players you’re going to lose in free agency (Shaheed) or whose ages don’t make sense for a rebuild (Kamara and Johnson). Sell.
Detroit Lions (buyers)
This is a tricky one because the contract extension of defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and looming potential future extensions of running back Jahmyr Gibbs, safety Brian Branch, tight end Sam LaPorta and linebacker Jack Campbell necessitate as much salary cap savings as possible for the Lions. Adding a piece at this deadline is now a significant luxury that Detroit might not be able to afford. That said, Sunday’s home loss to the Minnesota Vikings and the five sacks of Jared Goff are troubling. The Lions’ offensive line — particularly the interior — continues to have lapses. Guard Kevin Zeitler, who was a key piece of the Lions’ offensive line for years before departing to the Tennessee Titans in free agency, could be had for a song at this point. He’d be only a rental, but he comes in ready to start immediately for the Lions and shore up the interior of that line. Buy.
Indianapolis Colts (buyers)
The Colts looked very, very mortal in their loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Quarterback Daniel Jones was a disaster with his five turnovers and the final score of 27-20 wasn’t nearly as close as it looks. There were a lot of problems for the Colts in this one, but the one that stood out too often is how comfortable Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers looked during extended stretches. Yes, he was sacked three times, but the Colts’ pressure lacked the frenzied tenacity of what the Steelers were pouring onto Jones all game long. It’s better to have the extra pass rushing pieces and not need them than to need them and not have them.
The Colts could have used another solid-to-plus pass rusher against the Steelers, and they’ll need one for the playoffs at some point, too. Trey Hendrickson is the ideal piece, but if that’s not achievable, it doesn’t mean the Colts shouldn’t shop for another edge. Buy.
Denver Broncos (buyers)
The Broncos have been flirting with far too many close games this season. They’re 7-2 and that looks great, but there have been multiple tight fourth quarters that could have wrecked that record. Denver’s defense, frankly, will be fine. At full health, that unit is ready to go and compete with any team in the AFC, including the Chiefs and Colts. The offense, on the other hand, still feels like it lacks an explosive element in the receiving game. Or at the very least, a consistent explosive element in the receiving game. Someone experienced. Well, head coach Sean Payton has a longstanding friendship and relationship with his former New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis. And Loomis has a very tradable Rashid Shaheed. This would work in a very big way for the Broncos. And they need it after reflecting on Sunday’s narrow win over the Houston Texans. Buy.
Source: “AOL Sports”
