For years, Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott got the absolute most out of his defensive backfield, taking low-end free agents like Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer and turning them into the most feared
safety tandem in the NFL. Tre’Davious White was a late first-round pick who blossomed into an All-Pro cornerback and Christian Benford and Taron Johnson were late-round steals who both earned extensions from the team.
Now, Buffalo’s secondary feels like a shell of its former self. Part of that is of course due to injuries (Damar Hamlin, Maxwell Hairston, Dorian Strong), but that’s not the entire story. The Bills gave themselves no safety valves to account for injuries in the defensive backfield, and seemed content to run back a shaky safety room from last season, all while adding over-the-hill veterans they were familiar with in White and safety Jordan Poyer. Cornerback Rasul Douglas was let go after struggling last season but has seemingly been serviceable for the Miami Dolphins, and safety Darrick Forrest was a low-risk free-agent signing who couldn’t even make the team.
Buffalo’s coverage stats don’t look half bad at a glance, but Benford isn’t playing like the shutdown corner he was in 2024. He’s allowed the same amount of touchdowns through six weeks (4) than he did all last year — and seeing his target rate jump from 11.4% to 17% this season.
The Bills’ biggest issue in the back half is the unit’s status as being a total liability in the run game. Buffalo is worst in the NFL in yards after contact per attempt at 4.38 (second worst is the Los Angeles Chargers at 3.65!), and the defense has allowed the second-most runs of 10-plus yards in the NFL (31). Teams are running outside the tackles purposely at Buffalo’s secondary at by far the highest clip in the league, with 66.9% of opponent rushes going outside the tackles (7% higher than any other defense).
Taylor Rapp has become a massive liability, missing eight tackles (second most for a safety) and he’s never been above average in coverage throughout his career. His downward trajectory mixed with injuries to linebacker Matt Milano and defensive tackle Ed Oliver has devastated Buffalo’s run defense at all three levels and made them the worst run defense in the league out of a Nickel formation.
The Bills’ cap situation is tight, and the team lacks proper depth. So what options can general manager Brandon Beane explore before the NFL trade deadline hits on November 4? Let’s look at three players that would round out this secondary and give the defense some more flexibility and help for the front seven.
Tariq Woolen, CB (Seattle Seahawks)
The irony of this move is that so far in 2025, Woolen’s problems sound exactly the same as the ones plaguing Buffalo’s defensive backs. Woolen has one of the worst Pro Football Focus (PFF) coverage grades this season and has historically missed tackles at a high rate (Seattle is the team with the second-most outside-the-tackle runs against in part because of Woolen).
What Woolen would offer is a boundary corner who’s familiar with playing Nickel formations often (Seattle has the most nickel snaps in the league), and someone who can force tougher throws from opposing quarterbacks. Woolen led the NFL in tight-window throws forced last season at 39%, while the Bills are led by Benford with 21% and White is sitting at just 13%.
Man coverage has been impossible for the Bills in 2025 and even when they do play man, it’s often quite obvious when Benford is suddenly playing the slot against the offense’s top wide receiver. Woolen virtually never plays in the slot but he has much more upside and potential to succeed than White in 2025.
Woolen is a free agent following the season and would most likely be had for a late-round draft pick in 2026. He carries a $5.44 million cap hit this year.
2. Geno Stone, S (Cincinnati Bengals)
Another player who will be a free agent in 2026 and can be obtained with a lower-round draft pick, Geno Stone is a sure tackler with decent coverage skills and the ability to mix in on blitzes. Cincinnati is sinking fast without quarterback Joe Burrow and should be looking to sell a bit, so I don’t think any previous rivalry with Buffalo would play a factor here for what would most likely be a rental piece. Stone’s cap hit is a little higher than Woolen’s at $6.4 million and I wouldn’t be upset if the Bills sent Rapp the other way in a deal.
3. Jamal Adams, LB/S (Las Vegas Raiders)
Jamal Adams is an interesting case as he could possibly still be unsigned if not for former coach Pete Carroll bringing him to Las Vegas this offseason. Adams is a part-time player (40% of snaps played) and provides the positional versatility the Bills desperately crave on defense right now. Adams has lined up as an edge rusher, slot cornerback and box linebacker for the Raiders. He’s fairly average in coverage and run stuffing while generating a nice 22% pressure rate on opposing quarterbacks.
What stands out to me with Adams is he that he’s credited with four “hustle” plays (plays where a defender covered 20+ yards to record a tackle) according to NFLPRO. Cole Bishop and Taylor Rapp have two “hustle” plays combined. but with 500 more snaps played than Adams. It’s fair to point out that Buffalo plays them in more traditional safety spots. However, there are 95 DBs in the league with two-plus hustle plays, and that’s a glaring indictment on Rapp/Bishop’s pursuit angles and recovery defense.
Adams would be extremely cheap as he’s on a one-year, $1.12 million contract and could be fit in without any cap finagling. Who else would you like to see the Bills consider adding via the trade lines?
