The Bengals are trading for Bills left tackle Cordy Glenn, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The deal will see the Bills move up in the first round, according to Peter Schrager of NFL.com (on Twitter).
The Bills will acquire the No. 12 pick in the draft, while the Bengals will go down to No. 21 overall. The two teams will also swap fifth- and sixth-round picks. Precisely, the Bills will trade picks 21 and 158 for picks 12 and 187, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets.
Glenn was a durable player for the Bills prior to signing a massive extension with the Bills in 2016. Since then, he has been banged up and not quite worth the money for Buffalo. With a lofty $14.45MM cap number in 2018 and a $6.5MM roster bonus on the horizon, the Bills have decided to move on.
Glenn drew interest from teams at last year’s trade deadline, including the Seahawks, so the Bills knew there was at least some market for him, despite his health concerns and hefty contract. Glenn has three years and roughly $30MM remaining on his contract.
Glenn, 29 in September, appeared in just six games (275 snaps) for Buffalo last season before being placed on IR. He also missed five games of action in 2016. Before that, Glenn played a full 16-game slate in three consecutive seasons.
From 2013-2016, Glenn graded out as roughly a top-20 tackle, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. He did not fare nearly as well in his limited and injury-plagued sample last season.
The Bengals, who saw longtime left tackle Andrew Whitworth defect to the Rams in free agency last March, badly needed to upgrade their offensive line. They have done just that by acquiring Glenn. If healthy, Glenn easily profiles as an above-average starter at left tackle. Given his injury history, the Bengals will want to shore up the bench in the even that he misses time.
The Bills, meanwhile, have greatly improved their standing in the draft. They also hold the No. 22 overall selection, thanks to last year’s Patrick Mahomes trade, and five of the draft’s first 65 choices. Buffalo now figures to let Dion Dawkins, who filled in for Glenn last season when he was ailing, move into the role of its full-time left tackle.
Considering their stock of early-round picks, you can only wonder if the Bills are preparing to make a run at one of the top quarterbacks in the draft. Buffalo may be emulating the strategy the Eagles took several years ago to select Carson Wentz, when Philly started with No. 13, moved up to No. 8, and ultimately traded for the second-overall pick. Of course, the Bills could also be eyeing free agent quarterbacks, as reports from earlier today indicated that they had interest in former Vikings signal-callers Sam Bradford and Case Keenum.
[RELATED: Bengals Depth Chart]
So bills playoff experiment over???
I’m not going to say Beane is a genius yet but this guy is getting value for guys we didn’t want! He moves the biggest salary off our books(yes there is dead$$) but he also moves us up in the draft to possibly grab one of the top two QBs with only one more draft pick for compensation. I’m loving this guy!
Exactly right Sports
So bills experiment with the playoffs over
Well he was injured last year and replaces by a cheaper, better player in Dawkins.
Now they’re higher in the draft, still have another 1st rounder and cleared cap space
Honestly putting 5 kindergarteners out to block would probably be an upgrade for the Bengals’ offensive line so Glenn isn’t cheap but this isn’t a terrible move for them
Never mind, moving down 9 spots probably wasn’t worth it for the Bengals. The Bills are definitely in position to pick a franchise quarterback now.
What “franchise” QB are they getting at 12?
That’s the range where Mahomes and Watson were picked last year.
But if you read my comment, I said “in position” to get a franchise quarterback. It’s easier for them to trade up to get one than if they had stayed at 21.
Neither of them have proven anything
Well yeah but they were drafted with the thought that they’d be franchise quarterbacks. You’re both significantly overthinking my original comment hahaha
What team thought they could get there franchise QB at pick 199 as proven over they yr great QB can be picked any where in the draft
So dcahen you win the worst comment of the day
Big Ben was picked 11th,Rodgers was a late 1st,Brees was in the 2nd,Brady was a 6th rd’r,Romo went undrafted…. Sure,its ideal to be at the very top of the draft with a need at qb,but getting someone @1 guarantees nothing.
I don’t know about 5, but literally ANYONE would have been an upgrade at left tackle.
Nice move by the Bengals.
I’m not a Bengals fan, but to me Glenn is a big time upgrade for them on the left side if he’s healthy. Moving down 9 spots in the first round definitely hurts, but that alone also makes it worth it for the Bills since they’re in a good spot to get a top QB.
It could end up being a slight overpay by the Bengals if Glenn gets injured again, but overall I like it for both sides.
If they really were looking for OL help in Rd 1, they might still have their pick at 21 of any OL besides Nelson. Interesting move
Their roster does not look like super bowl winner
As they look good on def but offense looks real bad. Trade up for a qb and go young
This is a good trade by buffalo. You move up and have a chance at one of the top qb prospects.
the 22nd and 12 picks like can land buffalo in the 6 – 8 range if they want to package them and move up again.
their draft capital has put them in a position they could make a run up to top 3 if they include a 2nd
If I were the Giants i am taking those 2 picks plus a 2nd this year & another 1st next year from the Bills for the number 2 pick. Maybe more than that but if I was big blue I would be looking to make a move with Buffalo now
The moves the bills are making indicates that they are attempting to move up in the draft in order to take the guy they want.. they seem to be aggressively doing so… my guess is that they are aiming at that #2 spot, Giants would accept imo. Leaving the colts at #3, which may lead to the Broncos or Jets looking to jump one another for their chance at their guy at QB… Colts need OL/entire defense. Chubb May be too good to pass at 3.
I bet it’s more like a 2 next year instead of a 1 but I think that’s what it would take to make the jump
No way the giants give up the # 2 pick unless Cleveland takes Barkley with the first pick . If that happens, I could see the g men trading down.
Agree. So it makes watching what the browns do with that #1 pick all the more interesting this year. Trust me. The browns will find a way to mess it all up. Again.
Can you believe it? The Bills are really going for the gusto! Super duper super bowl days are here again