With the Buffalo Bills sitting at 3-2 this season, could Saquon Barkley be the answer they need to solidify them as a title contender?
It was certainly a tough Week 5 for the Bills in London, as they lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars. With the Jaguars staying overseas for two straight weeks, they had a big travel advantage over Buffalo, who looked a little flat after a big win against the Miami Dolphins.
With the Bills standing with a record of 3-2, they are still very much so in the mix to be a playoff team in the AFC, but with the conference having some good teams, the Bills might need to make some upgrades.
On the offensive side of the ball, one of their issues over the past few seasons has been their rushing attack. In the loss to the Jaguars, the Bills had a really bad performance, as they totaled just 29 rushing yards in the game. While that number is pretty bad, it was concerning that their starting running back James Cook had negative yards in the game.
Overall, Cook hasn’t had a bad season, as he is averaging 4.8 yards per carry, but the Bills don’t seem willing to use him as a workhorse. That said, the Bills need to get better on the ground if they will contend for a Super Bowl. With the team being ranked in the middle of the pack in terms of rushing yards per game, they would be closer to the bottom if not for Josh Allen’s ability to run the ball.
With that being said, the Bills should be looking to make a big splash before the trade deadline. One name that they should pursue is Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants. Barkley has been out for part of the season while dealing with an ankle injury, but he can be a gamechanger when healthy.
Last season, Barkley totaled 1,312 rushing yards, 10 rushing touchdowns, and a 4.4 yards per carry average. In addition to his ability to run the ball, Barkley can also help out in the passing game, as he totaled 338 receiving yards last year.
With the Giants currently sitting at a 1-4 record with a trip to Buffalo coming, being sellers at the trade deadline makes sense. In terms of Saquon Barkley, he is one of the many running backs looking to get paid, and the Giants seemed to be hesitant about it. If the Giants don’t intend to sign Barkley long-term, they might as well trade him with this season being all but lost at this point.
The two sides certainly seem like a good fit in trade partners and Barkley would help the Bills’ offense similar to what Christian McCaffery did for the San Francisco 49ers.
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