How should Bills respond to Chiefs acquisition of Josh Uche?

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane has already made it clear that his team is open to adding one or two more players before the NFL trade deadline on November 5, but said the hinted reinforcements don't come in the form of Josh Uche The New England Patriots traded the 26-year-old pass rusher to the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday afternoon.

It's a bit of a setback for Buffalo, not only because it was brought into play as a possible replacement for the former double-digit sack defender, but also because of the landing spot; The Chiefs are currently the only undefeated team in the NFL, and their recent maneuvers (they also signed five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins last week) suggest they have the Super Bowl firmly in their sights once again. The Bills will (most likely) have to get past Kansas City if they want to win the Lombardi Trophy this season, something they have proven difficult to do in the past (they fell to the Chiefs in three of the last four postseasons); Any midseason improvement from Kansas City paves the way for Buffalo to potential glory The much more difficult.

Given the Chiefs' recent moves, it's certainly worth considering whether the Bills should make additional deals themselves. Beane is demonstrably not the type to sit idle, which was evident with the acquisition of wide receiver Amari Cooper in mid-October; That is, Buffalo need close more deals? Is the Uche acquisition such a big boost that the Bills' architect should feel pressured to be more aggressive on the phones?

Related: 3 realistic targets for Bills ahead of 2024 NFL trade deadline

Especially when it comes to Uche, Kansas City’s interest makes sense; The Chiefs currently rank 22nd in team sack percentage at 6.15% and 24th in team sack percentage at 15. Buffalo, on the other hand, ranks 18th in team sack percentage at 6.73 % and 12th in team sack percentage with 21. Perhaps a nationally underrated pass rusher, Uche has recorded 20.5 sacks and 137 quarterback pressures over his five-year professional career; It's not that the Bills couldn't have used the defender, but Kansas City had a more pressing need, and so pursuing Uche more aggressively makes sense.

Buffalo's pass rush has had its bright spots so far this year (namely Greg Rousseau, who recorded 38 pressures and had an astonishing six quarterback hits in Week 7 alone), and it figures to get a boost in the future as the active All-time sack leader Von Miller returns from suspension; Rousseau, Miller, AJ Epenesa and Dawuane Smoot aren't a bad defensive end rotation, and the Chiefs' acquisition of Uche shouldn't necessarily put pressure on the Bills to add a group at the position.

However, the group could do a better job of converting pressures into sacks, and adding another player to the rotation would be a poor strategy to achieve this; One potential name to keep an eye on in this regard is Azeez Ojulari, a 24-year-old New York Giants defenseman who has converted 27% of his pressures into sacks this season, according to PFF. New York general manager Joe Schoen rose in the NFL under Beane, so there's a good relationship; Ojulari is on an expiring contract and will receive a base salary of just $1.6 million this year.

If Kansas City's move inspires the Bills to respond accordingly, the more advantageous position to expand might be defensive tackle; Buffalo's interior defensive line has consistently struggled both against the run and generating pass rush this season, and it is currently shorthanded with key rookie tackle DeWayne Carter out with a wrist injury. Adding another contributor at the position would not only (theoretically) allow the interior of the line itself to generate more pressure, but would also create more opportunities for the team's defensive ends to get home; Possible names to keep an eye on in this regard could include Calais Campbell, Maliek Collins and Sebastian Joseph-Day.

Related: Why Bills OT Dion Dawkins wanted Keon Coleman's signed cleats after Week 8 win

Safety could be another position where Buffalo could use some depth, as rookie Cole Bishop hasn't looked great at the spot and veteran Mike Edwards has consistently found himself on the inactive list. Jacksonville defenseman Andre Cisco could fit, but the Bills appear confident in starters Taylor Rapp and Damar Hamlin and may trust their internal reinforcements enough to avoid allocating draft capital to a player from outside the organization.

Reactionary moves in the NFL rarely end well, and a rival executing a trade should never single-handedly inspire a team to make a deal of its own; However, Buffalo's need for additional pass rushing help is so great that it should also consider trading for a defensive lineman before November 5th. Defensive tackle seems like the most promising position on the entire unit given the impact help could have at the position, but an intriguing player like Ojulari wouldn't be a bad acquisition either.

The 6-2 Bills will probably be fine if they don't make any more trades this year, but with one of the few teams ahead of them in the AFC standings still on the rise, it wouldn't be a bad idea for Buffalo to do the same continue to do.

— Enjoy free coverage of the Buffalo Bills Bills on SI —