Bills Mafia split on adding Dexter Lawrence II to Buffalo’s defense

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 28: Dexter Lawrence II #97 of the New York Giants runs after intercepting the ball against the Los Angeles Chargers during the first quarter in the game at MetLife Stadium on September 28, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images) | Getty Images

When you ask any substantial cross-section of an NFL fan base a question about their favorite team, you’re certain to find that opinion are divided. Sometimes, that division meets right in the middle, as was ultimately the case in our latest round of Reacts voting.

Dexter Lawrence II, who currently plays defensive tackle the New York Giants, is perhaps the hottest name in NFL circles right now. We’ve already discussed the idea of Lawrence landing with the Buffalo Bills here at Buffalo Rumblings, but we had yet to put a vote to it. It’s pretty well agreed upon that no one in the 2026 NFL Draft carries the immediate impact of Lawrence. Perhaps that’s short-sighted, but you can’t discount NFL production.

This week, we didn’t simply ask if Dexter Lawrence would improve the Bills’ defense — that’s a poll we’d likely see end up with a unanimous and emphatic “yes!” Instead, we simply wanted to know if it’s the move Buffalo’s front office should make centered around this year’s draft.

Unlike the cost-controlled process of selecting rookies via the NFL Draft, landing Lawrence comes with a hefty price tag, where the Bills would need to do some book keeping to absorb Lawrence’s $18-plus million in 2026 salary before a trade could be finalized. Yet that wouldn’t be enough, as Lawrence wants out of New Jersey due to ongoing contract strife.

In Bills circles, conversations about players often center around whether the team can afford a guy. They can in most scenarios, even if the numbers say otherwise — and that’s true with Lawrence. There are plenty of ways to leverage the cap in the current season, but it’s going to affect future caps. That’s often a risk leadership is willing to confront simply because the NFL salary cap increases every season. But is it wise in this particular case — the best move for One Bills Drive?

Rumblings readers say it isn’t, with 36% of voters leading the way in claiming that Lawrence would cost too much. Yet just behind those folks are 29% of people who believe Buffalo should make the trade happen, even if it includes the Bills’ first-round pick (26 overall) this year.

At 22% of voters are those who say that Lawrence makes sense, but only if it doesn’t include pick No. 26. Meanwhile, 13% of votes sided with “no,” simply believing draft picks are too valuable.

Add it all up, and there’s a near perfectly centered split between the yays and nays. The yays lead the way at 51% of the total vote, whereas the nays lag at 49% of the tally.

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