Bills’ trade puts another QB-needy team ahead of Cardinals in NFL Draft
Mar 12, 2018, 3:11 PM
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott, left, talks with Arizona Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks at the NFL Combine, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Another team in need of a quarterback has jumped ahead of the Arizona Cardinals in the 2018 NFL Draft order.
A person familiar with the deal has told The Associated Press the Buffalo Bills have moved up nine spots in the draft by swapping first-round picks with the Cincinnati Bengals, who also acquired high-priced left tackle Cordy Glenn as part of the trade.
The person spoke to The AP on the condition of anonymity on Monday because teams are not allowed to announce trades until the NFL’s new business year opens Wednesday. Buffalo moved up to the No. 12 spot in the draft by trading the first of its two opening-round selections, 21st overall. That’s three slots ahead of the Cardinals, who own their first-round pick at 15th overall.
The Bills also have the No. 22 pick.
Buffalo also traded its fifth-round pick (158th overall) for the Bengals’ sixth-round selection (187th) as part of the Bill’s second major trade in three days. On Friday, Buffalo traded starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor to Cleveland for a third-round pick.
The moves help place the Bills in a position to use one of their first-round picks to draft a quarterback.
The offensive line is Cincinnati’s biggest focus in the offseason. The offense finished last in the league in large measure because its line couldn’t protect Andy Dalton or open holes for the running backs.
Glenn has been a Bills starter since his rookie season in 2012. He was limited to six games last year because of an injury to his left foot that eventually required surgery.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
