The Buffalo Bills must figure out how to finally reach the Super Bowl in the Josh Allen era. The Houston Texans need to maximize their elite defense by upgrading the offense. These two squads came together at the 2026 NFL Draft in an attempt to accomplish these crucial objectives. Houston traded the No. 28, No. 69 and No. 167 overall picks to Buffalo for the No. 26 and No. 91 selections, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Texans grabbed Georgia Tech offensive lineman Keylan Rutledge with their elevated first-rounder, as they seek to provide protection for fourth-year quarterback CJ Stroud. The All-American, who also played two seasons at Middle Tennessee State, did not surrender a single sack in 396 pass-blocking snaps in 2025, per Pro Football Focus. He also allowed five total pressures and committed five penalties in 801 total snaps.
Stroud stumbled in the AFC Divisional Round versus the New England Patriots, as Houston missed out on a potential chance to compete for a championship in Levi’s Stadium. A QB change is not on the table for next season, as the organization will instead try to position the 2023-24 Offensive Rookie of the Year for success. Rutledge will share in that responsibility. Texans general manager Nick Caserio paid a steep price to move up just two spots, so expectations will be high.
Buffalo also had big plans on Thursday. The Bills moved down the board a couple more times, first shipping out their newly acquired No. 28 pick to the Patriots for No. 31 and No. 125, and then flipping that first-round selection along with No. 69 and No. 165 to the Tennessee Titans for No. 35, No. 66 and No. 101, per Syracuse.com’s Matt Parrino. The Pats took Utah tackle Caleb Lomu, while the Titans grabbed Auburn edge rusher Keldric Faulk.
Polarizing Bills GM Brandon Beane is making a big gamble by doing business with the squad that just ended Buffalo’s five-year AFC East reign, and he will also draw considerable criticism for trading out of the first round completely. If the added draft capital become viable contributors on a Super Bowl squad, then the veteran executive will be praised. But fans may not give Beane the benefit of the doubt.
The NFL world will wait and see if Buffalo decides to actually make a draft pick on Friday.
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