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Buffalo Bills general manager, Brandon Beane, on August 17th, 2025, talking to Ryan Poles of the Chicago Bears.
The Buffalo Bills have faced some tough injury challenges this season, but at this point in the season, no position group has been more affected than the inside, off-the-ball linebacking corps.
The tried-and-tested tandem of Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard are both out, and whilst both backups, Dorian Williams and Shaq Thompson, have experience starting in the league -Buffalo may look to upgrade at the position in the meantime.
Thompson is old – although there is no doubt he was a more than capable player for the league in his decade-long stint in Carolina – whilst Williams has yet to truly prove to the Bills why they selected him in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Buffalo Bills Could Benefit From Adding Another Inside Linebacker
Consquently, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox suggests that Buffalo could be prime takers if the Tennessee Titans decide to move inside linebacker, Cody Barton.
Barton is a quality option in the middle of the field, and amidst Williams’ inconsistent play, and Thompson & Milano’s advanced age – both 31 years old, could be a smart acquisition for the Bills in the short and medium term.
“[Titans] General manager Mike Borgonzi, who arrived this past offseason, may not be eager to move players he just added.” Knox wrote on Wednesday. “If he’s looking to the future, though, trading inside linebacker Cody Barton would be sensible.”
Cody Barton Would Shore Up Strength And Depth Issues In Buffalo
Although Barton is not exactly a spring chicken, he has a good couple of years on both Milano and Thompson, and would be a major upgrade on Williams.
“Barton, who now has 49 starts on his resume, signed a three-year deal in free agency. However, he’ll turn 29 in November and might be more valuable to the Titans in the long term as a trade chip.
Tennessee could expect a reasonable return for Barton, who has logged 38 tackles and two passes defended this season. Teams in need of linebacker help—because of injuries or poor play—should have his name circled.”
Knox suggests that the Bills would need to give up something in the range of a fourth round pick in order to secure Barton’s services from Tennessee.
That price could end up being higher than Buffalo would want to pay – especially considering that Barton has not impressed everyone with his body of this work this season to date.
The 2019 third round pick has garnered just a 51.3 grade from Pro Football Focus in 2025, which ranks him 111th out of 140 qualifying linebackers – far below the league average standard, let alone the average for a starter.
But with injuries piling up, and the Bills very much in a now-or-never season with regards to their Super Bowl ambitions, giving up some draft capital to shore up the room may be a risk that head coach, Sean McDermott, just feels like he needs to take.
Daniel Arwas Daniel Arwas is a sports writer who covers the NFL for Heavy.com. Daniel began his career in sports writing in 2022 and has covered the NFL and college football for Gridiron Heroics and The Hammer. More about Daniel Arwas
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