The Buffalo Bills have been through it at safety in the 2025 season, but a veteran presence emerged to calm the problem. In August, Jordan Poyer signed to the practice squad and in late October, he found
himself on the active roster. But Poyer was injured against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Wild Card round, and now the safety position for the Bills is very much up in the air.
Buffalo went into training camp with Cole Bishop, Taylor Rapp, and Damar Hamlin fighting for two starting spots. It was quickly established that Bishop and Rapp were the go-to players, but the Bills wanted depth. Hamlin would serve as the primary backup with rookie Jordan Hancock learning the ropes.
The Bills didn’t like what they saw from veteran Darrick Forrest in the preseason, so they released him in late August, signing special teamer Sam Franklin in his place and adding Poyer to the practice squad.
The safety position is a notoriously difficult one for Sean McDermott’s defense, but when it clicks, it is very important.
Buffalo Bills injuries at safety
Hamlin was the first to go down, suffering a pectoral injury in practice in October. On October 11th, he was placed on injured reserve. The Bills elevated Poyer from the practice squad for a couple games to get through it.
On October 24th, Rapp was placed on injured reserve due to a knee injury. He had surgery and Sean McDermott said he would probably miss the rest of the season. Not a lot of information, but enough. The Bills signed Poyer to the active roster.
Then in Week 16, Poyer suffered a hamstring injury that kept him out of Week 17 and Week 18. We hoped it was precautionary, but he was limited leading up to the Wild Card game against the Jaguars. In Jacksonville, Poyer left the game with a hamstring injury and did not return. we don’t know if it’s the same hamstring, but that’s a good guess.
Cam Lewis left Week 18 with an injury, which forced the Bills into some uncomfortable scenarios with the defensive backs, potentially allowing for Max Hairston’s injury at cornerback.
Damar Hamlin seems like an obvious choice at safety
With Rapp done for the year and Poyer struggling to stay healthy, it seems like a no-brainer that the Bills will activate Hamlin this week before their game against the Denver Broncos. He could start this weekend over Hancock as he has playoff experience.
If the Bills have Cole Bishop and Hamlin together with Hancock as the primary backup and Cam Lewis as the emergency safety, it feels like the right mix of experience and talent. If Poyer can go, that is gravy on the biscuit. Outside of opening Hamlin’s practice window, they don’t need to make any roster moves for several days.
I am not ruling out a Micah Hyde or Darrick Forrest signing at this point. Hyde retired after the 2024 season and Forrest was with the Steelers on the practice squad from the end of October though mid-November.
The Bills have three defensive backs on their practice squad but they are listed as cornerbacks.
