Bills Defensive Backs for 2025

[DapperCam]

I’m not sure if anybody else has noticed, but our defensive backs other than Benford were pretty bad in 2024. I’m concerned that there aren’t really answers on the roster, draft or FA to plug the holes. I don’t fully believe in PFF grades, but gave them because they can give a rough idea where players rank relative to their peers.

 

Safeties:

Hamlin - Probably the definition of a replacement level player. He was in position usually, but really lacked athleticism. Free agent this summer. (PFF 107/170 safeties)

Rapp - Just had an okay season. Notably got injured when we needed him and injured his teammates. (PFF 117/170 safeties).

Bishop - Missed a lot of training camp and preseason. Looked rough out there in a few games. Couldn’t beat out Hamlin for a starting spot despite far superior athleticism. (PFF 150/170 safeties).

 

Slot Corner:

T. Johnson - Previously an All-Pro, but had a pretty mediocre season. Was getting burned a lot. I cut him some slack since Rapp broke his arm in the first game.  (PFF 82/223 corners)

C. Lewis - Replaced Johnson when he was hurt and was constantly picked on. Had a huge role in the first Ravens game beat down. (PFF 106/170 safeties)

 

Boundary Corner:

Benford - Probably the only DB that played well. Not a ball hawk, but solid in coverage. Got a little bit leakier at the end of the season (Rams game on). Historically he is injury-prone and just had back-to-back concussions. (PFF 5/223 corners)

Douglas - Had a straight up bad year. Not sure if Father Time caught up to him. Free agent this summer. (PFF 132/223 corners)

Elam - At this point a huge bust. Wasn’t even active most of the season. Might have lost us the KC game. (PFF 47/223 corners, note this is just regular season on a low snap count)

Ingram - Only has stats in about half the games. Had an insane game vs the Dolphins, but seems like a bubble roster player (PFF 134/223 corners)

 

Bills had a bottom-10 pass defense, which based on personnel here is probably overproducing based on the talent.

 

So what is the front office going to do? Ideally we need to add a good safety and good boundary corner, along with better depth in case of injuries. Hamlin and Douglas will walk this summer IMO.

[gordong]

pass Hamlin and Douglas trade Elam.. draft is going to be defense HEAVY. 

[Back2Buff]

It needs a complete overhaul.

 

The safety class is very strong in FA.  Only one of Bishop and Rapp should be on the field at once.  They both play the "Poyer" role, we never replaced Hyde.

 

Need a starting CB in FA.  I would use the draft to get a 3rd CB.  Ingram is fine as 4th.

[Yobogoya!]

Gonna need to add at least one veteran at both CB and S and probably spend one draft pick at both spots as well. 
 

Secondary went from being a perennial strength to a complete crapshoot in a hurry over the last two years. 

[SCBills]

DL is of far more importance and will, by default, help the secondary if they improve.

 

I would go into next year with Rapp-Bishop and Benford-Ingram-Johnson and then go heavy Secondary in the middle rounds of the Draft to bring in depth, competition and provide a year of experience in case we move off Rapp or let Benford walk after next season. 

[DapperCam]

2 minutes ago, Yobogoya! said:

Secondary went from being a perennial strength to a complete crapshoot in a hurry over the last two years. 

I guess that’s what happens when you lose 3 All-Pros in their position in that span 😅

[Buffalo_Stampede]

I guess we can no longer call McDermott the DB whisperer. He actually needs talent like everyone else.

[Yobogoya!]

10 minutes ago, DapperCam said:

I guess that’s what happens when you lose 3 All-Pros in their position in that span 😅

Yeah no doubt we were spoiled by some high level guys. McD has historically gotten the most out of his DB’s but we didn’t do enough to keep the cupboard stocked and it caught up to us hard. 

[JohnNord]

13 minutes ago, DapperCam said:

I’m not sure if anybody else has noticed, but our defensive backs other than Benford were pretty bad in 2024. I’m concerned that there aren’t really answers on the roster, draft or FA to plug the holes. I don’t fully believe in PFF grades, but gave them because they can give a rough idea where players rank relative to their peers.

 

Safeties:

Hamlin - Probably the definition of a replacement level player. He was in position usually, but really lacked athleticism. Free agent this summer. (PFF 107/170 safeties)

Rapp - Just had an okay season. Notably got injured when we needed him and injured his teammates. (PFF 117/170 safeties).

Bishop - Missed a lot of training camp and preseason. Looked rough out there in a few games. Couldn’t beat out Hamlin for a starting spot despite far superior athleticism. (PFF 150/170 safeties).

 

Slot Corner:

T. Johnson - Previously an All-Pro, but had a pretty mediocre season. Was getting burned a lot. I cut him some slack since Rapp broke his arm in the first game.  (PFF 82/223 corners)

C. Lewis - Replaced Johnson when he was hurt and was constantly picked on. Had a huge role in the first Ravens game beat down. (PFF 106/170 safeties)

 

Boundary Corner:

Benford - Probably the only DB that played well. Not a ball hawk, but solid in coverage. Got a little bit leakier at the end of the season (Rams game on). Historically he is injury-prone and just had back-to-back concussions. (PFF 5/223 corners)

Douglas - Had a straight up bad year. Not sure if Father Time caught up to him. Free agent this summer. (PFF 132/223 corners)

Elam - At this point a huge bust. Wasn’t even active most of the season. Might have lost us the KC game. (PFF 47/223 corners, note this is just regular season on a low snap count)

Ingram - Only has stats in about half the games. Had an insane game vs the Dolphins, but seems like a bubble roster player (PFF 134/223 corners)

 

Bills had a bottom-10 pass defense, which based on personnel here is probably overproducing based on the talent.

 

So what is the front office going to do? Ideally we need to add a good safety and good boundary corner, along with better depth in case of injuries. Hamlin and Douglas will walk this summer IMO.

The only unquestioned starters are Benford and Bishop.  
 

Rapp has an advantage but I wouldn’t be shocked to see them bring in completion.  The only way I see Hamlin returning is on a short term deal in a depth role.  I think he’ll find a better deal elsewhere.  
 

CB is again in play for Buffalo on Day 1 or Day 2.  I can see Douglas returning-signing but again on a short term deal.  They can’t rely on him to start next season.  

[DapperCam]

Just now, JohnNord said:

The only unquestioned starters are Benford and Bishop.  
 

Rapp has an advantage but I wouldn’t be shocked to see them bring in completion.  The only way I see Hamlin returning is on a short term deal in a depth role.  I think he’ll find a better deal elsewhere.  
 

CB is again in play for Buffalo on Day 1 or Day 2.  I can see Douglas returning-signing but again on a short term deal.  They can’t rely on him to start next season.  

I would argue Taron Johnson is also an unquestioned starter for next year.

 

Benford is an unquestioned starter for next year, but a big decision will be whether or not to extend him at top-10 CB money. Personally I’m iffy on that and might make him prove it another season. We could even franchise tag him the year after that.

[GASabresIUFan]

This is definitely a topic worth discussing, but the truth is 4/5 of our starting CB/DB/S slots are already spoken for.

 

1) Taron Johnson is an all-pro and will be the starting slot corner next season

2) Christian Benford - Assuming he gets healthy, PFF graded him as the 5th best CB in the NFL last season.  He is the starter if healthy

3) Rapp - Rapp had a solid year, is under contract and therefore will be one of the two starting safeties next season

4) Bishop - He was drafted to develop into a long-term starter at safety.  He got better as the year went along and will almost certainly be Rapp running mate next season.

 

That leaves Douglas' job open.  Elam is clearly not the answer.  Unfortunately he has a $4+ mill cap hit next season whether he plays or doesn't.  He will be given a chance to compete for the starting job.  With the Bills playing more man to man defense, maybe that helps his candidacy for the starting job.

 

I believe the Bills need to draft 1 - 2 CBs in this draft and maybe even an additional safety.   3 names to watch in the draft are Quincy Riley (2nd rd), Maxwell Hairston (3rd rd) and Jahdae Barron (late 1st rd).  I also expect the Bills to add depth in free agency to both CB and S.  I agree that Ingram and Lewis are not good enough depth.

[DeltaDigital]

31 minutes ago, Back2Buff said:

It needs a complete overhaul.

 

The safety class is very strong in FA.  Only one of Bishop and Rapp should be on the field at once.  They both play the "Poyer" role, we never replaced Hyde.

 

Need a starting CB in FA.  I would use the draft to get a 3rd CB.  Ingram is fine as 4th.

suposed to be a deep safety draft too according to the miami sports talk shows.

[Back2Buff]

16 minutes ago, GASabresIUFan said:

This is definitely a topic worth discussing, but the truth is 4/5 of our starting CB/DB/S slots are already spoken for.

 

1) Taron Johnson is an all-pro and will be the starting slot corner next season

2) Christian Benford - Assuming he gets healthy, PFF graded him as the 5th best CB in the NFL last season.  He is the starter if healthy

3) Rapp - Rapp had a solid year, is under contract and therefore will be one of the two starting safeties next season

4) Bishop - He was drafted to develop into a long-term starter at safety.  He got better as the year went along and will almost certainly be Rapp running mate next season.

 

That leaves Douglas' job open.  Elam is clearly not the answer.  Unfortunately he has a $4+ mill cap hit next season whether he plays or doesn't.  He will be given a chance to compete for the starting job.  With the Bills playing more man to man defense, maybe that helps his candidacy for the starting job.

 

I believe the Bills need to draft 1 - 2 CBs in this draft and maybe even an additional safety.   3 names to watch in the draft are Quincy Riley (2nd rd), Maxwell Hairston (3rd rd) and Jahdae Barron (late 1st rd).  I also expect the Bills to add depth in free agency to both CB and S.  I agree that Ingram and Lewis are not good enough depth.

 

Rapp and Bishop are both SS.  The Bills not having a ball hawking FS has hurt this team over the last few years.  In his prime, Hyde was one of the best, but when he got hurt and lost a step, it hurt this defense.  

 

The Bills need to bring in a starting FS.  Rapp and Bishop should be competing for SS next year.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

41 minutes ago, DapperCam said:

I’m not sure if anybody else has noticed, but our defensive backs other than Benford were pretty bad in 2024. I’m concerned that there aren’t really answers on the roster, draft or FA to plug the holes. I don’t fully believe in PFF grades, but gave them because they can give a rough idea where players rank relative to their peers.

 

Safeties:

Hamlin - Probably the definition of a replacement level player. He was in position usually, but really lacked athleticism. Free agent this summer. (PFF 107/170 safeties)

Rapp - Just had an okay season. Notably got injured when we needed him and injured his teammates. (PFF 117/170 safeties).

Bishop - Missed a lot of training camp and preseason. Looked rough out there in a few games. Couldn’t beat out Hamlin for a starting spot despite far superior athleticism. (PFF 150/170 safeties).

 

Slot Corner:

T. Johnson - Previously an All-Pro, but had a pretty mediocre season. Was getting burned a lot. I cut him some slack since Rapp broke his arm in the first game.  (PFF 82/223 corners)

C. Lewis - Replaced Johnson when he was hurt and was constantly picked on. Had a huge role in the first Ravens game beat down. (PFF 106/170 safeties)

 

Boundary Corner:

Benford - Probably the only DB that played well. Not a ball hawk, but solid in coverage. Got a little bit leakier at the end of the season (Rams game on). Historically he is injury-prone and just had back-to-back concussions. (PFF 5/223 corners)

Douglas - Had a straight up bad year. Not sure if Father Time caught up to him. Free agent this summer. (PFF 132/223 corners)

Elam - At this point a huge bust. Wasn’t even active most of the season. Might have lost us the KC game. (PFF 47/223 corners, note this is just regular season on a low snap count)

Ingram - Only has stats in about half the games. Had an insane game vs the Dolphins, but seems like a bubble roster player (PFF 134/223 corners)

 

Bills had a bottom-10 pass defense, which based on personnel here is probably overproducing based on the talent.

 

So what is the front office going to do? Ideally we need to add a good safety and good boundary corner, along with better depth in case of injuries. Hamlin and Douglas will walk this summer IMO.

great topic. This is going to be a real head scratcher.

 

this regime has been able to get by with low draft picks and cheap vets at the secondary positions just by getting guys who are good in basic zone coverage.

 

But it’s clear you have to play man to

beat Lamar and Mahomes. And those great man cover guys are the high draft picks and high-end free agents.

 

i think they have to decide whether they are ready to make a fundamental shift in their defensive philosophy. That will dictate how they approach free agency. 

[KOKBILLS]

19 minutes ago, DeltaDigital said:

suposed to be a deep safety draft too according to the miami sports talk shows.

 

It's the deepest prospect S Draft I can remember and I've been doing this amateur scout thing for over 35 years...

 

It's not really top heavy as far as top 15-25 guys... But overall it's crazy deep IMHO...

Edited 21 hours ago by KOKBILLS

[LabattBlue]

No one is trading for Elam with his 2025 cap hit.  If the Bills waive him, yeah, I am sure someone would take a chance with him at a vet min salary. 

[Sojourner]

I wonder if we go to a rotation that sees Bishop or Rapp as the nickel DB on some packages. 
 

Hamlin shouldn’t be a starter, Rapp is injured and Bishop is still very raw. Hopefully they take a look at the FA pool for Safety as there’s a few guys who are of quality and can play that free/deep role we’ve been lacking. Bynum or Holland would be great but there’s a lot of quality available. 
 

Every guy on the roster that played meaningful snaps was/is better suited to the strong role where they can play that buzz/hole and robber responsibilities. 
 

Out of those 3 Hamlin would be the one to let go. The feel good story can only last too long and whilst he did have some good moments throughout the year, every big game he’s been a let down. Even before the Cincinnati incident. 
 

 

CB is another must.
 

Douglas was decent in spells but his play has been on the steady decline. Need someone else. 
 

Benford has the capability but had some rough patches. I’m sure if the DLine is fixed or at least better his play becomes more consistent and reliable. 

 

Same for Taron as above. Though if next year you get some atrocious periods of play then you move on. He’s still one of the best in the business. Also playing a safety in that role can give you the freedom to move on if it’s a success. 
 

There’s a few CBs in FA but they may be out of price range; Charvarious Ward, Carlton Davis, DJ Reed, Eric Stokes & Byron Murphy

 

Id like to see them take a gamble on CJ Henderson or one of the Charger guys in Asante Samuel Jr. (injury keeps his price down) or Christian Fulton. One of those 2 I’ll bet get resigned, so probably Asante. 
 

A lot to get right this year all over the defense. Some changes need to be made

Edited 21 hours ago by Sojourner

[Pasaluki]

28 minutes ago, Back2Buff said:

 

Rapp and Bishop are both SS.  The Bills not having a ball hawking FS has hurt this team over the last few years. 

The Bills need to bring in a starting FS.  Rapp and Bishop should be competing for SS next year.

 

Yes! Thank you. They need a FS. Hamlin had some good moments but they never replaced Hyde's output to say the least. Elam is finished at least on the Bills I hope he finds success elsewhere because WOW. 

 

I actually think the secondary isn't as bad as an integrated unit as the pff rankings suggest. The Dline is overpaid and doesn't help the secondary to the extent they should. I could see a really good FS having a big impact. 

[colin]

we need to get some actual talent in the secondary.  i kinda have hope for bishop, but he made quite a few mistakes.  rapp is what we've seen, hamlin is trash.  assuming benford's brain isn't leaking out of his nose, he'll be solid again next season.  I say we sign a stud or throw our first at a CB.  we need someone who can cover man and zone.

 

we'll need an actual athlete at FS too.

[Old Coot]

2 hours ago, Back2Buff said:

The safety class is very strong in FA.  Only one of Bishop and Rapp should be on the field at once.  They both play the "Poyer" role, we never replaced Hyde.

When we drafted Bishop he was said to have a grest head for the game. If that's true maybe he just needs some experience to get better.