The Bills have a number of pass rushing options at their disposal compared to previous years. The team has used both free agent deals and the draft to add to their edge rushing arsenal recently, but the latter path has not worked as expected with Carlos Basham Jr. As a result, he could find himself playing elsewhere in 2023. 
Selected in the second round of the 2021 draft, ‘Boogie’ came to Buffalo with considerable expectations. His final three seasons at Wake Forest resulted in a total of 19.5 sacks and 33.5 tackles for loss, demonstrating his abilities as a disruptive presence in the passing game coupled with an intriguing frame (6-3, 281 pounds). His first two years in the NFL have not gone as planned, however.
Basham has made 27 combined appearances in the regular season and playoffs, but he has yet to register a start. Playing in a rotational role behind a host of other edge rushers, he has logged a snap share of 39% in both of his Bills campaigns. Notably, his spot in the pecking order is behind that of fellow former second-round pick A.J. Epenesa. Bashasm has totaled 4.5 sacks, five tackles for loss and one interception to date.
Buffalo made a major investment in their defensive front by signing Von Miller last offseason. The future Hall of Famer’s debut Bills season was cut short by an ACL tear, but he has appeared increasingly optimistic that he could be available in time for Week 1 of the 2023 campaign. Even if that is not the case, recent addition Leonard Floyd will give the team an experienced presence off the edge. When at full strength, the Bills’ depth at the position could leave Basham better suited for a new opportunity.
As a result, the latest roster projection from Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic includes Basham being dealt before the start of the season (subscription required). His college pedigree and status as a recent second-rounder could entice teams to take a flier on him, especially since he has two years remaining on his rookie contract. At the age of 25, there could still be considerable potential yet to be unlocked by an acquiring team, particularly one willing to use him both on the edge and the interior.
A trade would yield $1.17MM in cap savings for the Bills in 2023, and another $1.43MM next year, compared to modest dead cap charges. Added flexibility could be valuable given the team’s limited space and their win-now approach, while a change of scenery could result in increased playing time for Basham. In any event, the 2023 season could prove to be a critical one in his pro development.
Buffalo is interesting in that they added a lot of high profile pass rushers in the draft in the last two or three years (Rousseau, Basham, and Epenesa for instance) and none have exactly seized that undisputed role. None have been bad-Rosseau had eight sacks last year, and Epenesa had 6.5-but none have exemplary exactly. In fact, the Bills got three of what many considered the top five pass rushers in back to back drafts in 2020 and 2021. Like I said, none of these guys are bad. But it is interesting that out of all of them, none have seized a true number one role. Rousseau will probably do that this year, if he continues his development from last season. Epenesa did not start his final year at Iowa, but had an impact similar to what he’s had in Buffalo so far.
Basham hasn’t been on the field as much, and certainly hasn’t had the start that Rousseau has had, but he has at least had some signs of life as a rotational rusher when available. Him having a decent year-say, five sacks-would be great for the Bills in case of a trade (so long as Epenesa and Rousseau remain healthy). The question for Buffalo, especially after signing Floyd, is what to do with Basham if he DOESN’T have a great year. There wouldn’t much value in a trade-would they just release him if they don’t get anything good? Miller coming back really makes Basham’s position tenuous, since Floyd is already an option.
The Bills seeking out additional veteran help at a position where they already have a lot of bodies available says something about their evaluation of that group, and doesn’t bode well for Basham’s future.