Just three days after trading away quarterback Tyrod Taylor to the Cleveland Browns, the Buffalo Bills front office got busy again. On Monday afternoon, they traded star offensive tackle Cordy Glenn to the Cincinnati Bengals, which included swapping of draft picks.
Peter Schrager of Fox Sports announced the trade and shared the details:
This is a major trade that could be huge for both sides, as Glenn beefs up a leaky Bengals' offensive line. For the Bills, they move up significantly in the draft and have a chance to draft one of the top quarterback prospects. Buffalo also owns the 22nd pick, courtesy of the Kansas City Chiefs - who traded up to select quarterback Patrick Mahomes last year.
Sam Darnold, Josh Rosen, Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen are the three most highly-touted quarterback prospects in this year's draft. There's a good chance the Bills look to trade up and select one of those, and the Indianapolis Colts (who pick at three), look like an ideal trade candidate. With Andrew Luck locked in as their franchise quarterback, Indy certainly won't be drafting another signal-caller.
As for the Bengals, adding Glenn certainly helps an offensive line that ranked 20th in pass-blocking efficiency last season, per Pro Football Focus. The Bengals also finished 2017 with the second-worst rushing offense, picking up just 85.4 yards on the ground per game. Without a doubt, Glenn makes this o-line that much better.
The Bengals were also linked to New England Patriots free agent offensive tackle Nate Solder, one of the best linemen in the league. But the acquisition of Glenn takes them completely off the market now.
It'll be interesting to see how both teams head into free agency now. Should the Bills decide to draft a quarterback, it certainly takes them out of the running for the likes of Case Keenum and Sam Bradford, amont other quarterbacks.
As for the Bengals, the weak link of their offense has been addressed. They can now use free agency and the draft to focus on other holes.