The Buffalo Bills have recognized that they need to add more dynamic athletes to their defensive secondary. Whereas the early days of the Sean McDermott era saw the Bills populate their secondary with “system guys” who could fit the scheme, of late, general manager Brandon Beane has prioritized high-end athletes who are more scheme diverse.
With an ever-evolving philosophy on defense, it doesn’t mean that some of the players who fit the scheme are going to be phased out completely. What it does show,
though, is that the Bills recognize that they need players who can stick with top-end offensive threats on teams that have the personnel to exploit that defensive scheme.
In today’s installment of our “90 players in 90 days” series, we discuss one of the best athletes in Buffalo’s secondary.
Name: Cole Bishop
Number: 24
Position: S
Height/Weight: 6’2” 207 lbs.
Age: 22
Experience/Draft: 2; selected by Buffalo in the second round (No. 60 overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft
College: Utah
Acquired: Second-round draft choice
Financial Situation (per Spotrac): Bishop enters the second year of his four-year rookie contract, a pact worth $6,547,996 overall. For the 2025 season, Bishop carries a cap hit of $1,488,181. If he’s released, Buffalo will carry a dead cap charge of $2,279,271 for the year.
2024 Recap: With great draft investment comes great expectation, and in the early portion of Bishop’s rookie season, he did not meet those expectations. A scapular fracture suffered during a practice in training camp set him back early, just as he was starting to look comfortable during camp. While he was only inactive for one game, the season opener against the Arizona Cardinals, the missed practice time kept him from earning time on defense. When he was pressed into duty during Buffalo’s Week Five matchup with the Houston Texans, he looked like he was a little slow to process and recognize what was in front of him in spite of his exceptional athleticism. Bishop was used primarily on special teams, but injuries to Taylor Rapp and Damar Hamlin late in the season led to Bishop making three more starts. He looked progressively better as the season wore on, and he even started Buffalo’s AFC Championship Game loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, totaling ten tackles in the game. For the 2024 season, he made 40 tackles, including two tackles for loss. He had two pass breakups. In three playoff games, he totaled 13 tackles.
Positional Outlook: Bishop is one of four dedicated safeties on the roster. Darrick Forrest, Taylor Rapp, and Damar Hamlin are the others. There are quite a few players on the roster who are either listed as defensive backs or as corners who are cross-training at safety, as well. Cam Lewis, Wande Owens, Jordan Hancock, Te’Cory Couch, and Daryl Porter are listed at defensive back.
2025 Offseason : Bishop is healthy and participating in offseason workouts.
2025 Season Outlook: With all respect to Damar Hamlin, I’d view it as a failure if Bishop isn’t the starting safety next to Taylor Rapp when the Bills open play against the Baltimore Ravens this season. Bishop is the best athlete the Bills have at the safety position, and it’s not particularly close. He has all the physical attributes—size, speed, strength—that defensive coaches covet, and he would give the Bills a great counter to teams with excellent receiving options at tight end. However, the part of the game that Bishop is going to need to show improvement in is the mental game, as he will have to show that he understands the complex back-end coverage scheme deployed by head coach Sean McDermott and defensive coordinator Bobby Babich.
If Bishop is relegated to a third safety/special teams role again, I’d put money on him starting a few games, as Rapp has a fairly extensive injury history. Perhaps the Bills would run some dime packages with Bishop in the same role that former safety Jordan Poyer played in his final year with the club. In any case, I think it’s fair to want a big step forward this season from Bishop. He’s not going to be handed anything, but if he earns it, he has the potential to be a tremendous plus for the Buffalo defense.
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