3 Reasons to love the Buffalo Bills’ signing of Taylor Rapp
By Joe Cook
When NFL insider, Adam Schefter, broke the news about the Buffalo Bills signing former Rams’ safety Taylor Rapp, many around the league were shocked. The Bills already have their two starting safeties locked in; the star duo of Micah Hyde and the recently re-signed Jordan Poyer. Despite that, it is still a huge get for the Bills, as Rapp is a starting-level player, and one option the Buffalo Bills looked at as a possible replacement for Jordan Poyer if he left.
The Bills have been on a low budget so far this off-season, as they are strapped against the cap. That does not seem to have mattered for Brandon Beane, who has continued to add pieces to the Buffalo Bills. Rapp is just the latest of those additions and one that fans should be excited about.
Reason 1: At the very least, Taylor Rapp will be an excellent depth piece for the Buffalo Bills
Poyer and Hyde will both be 32 years old when the season begins and coming off injury-riddled seasons. Hyde missed the whole year with a neck injury sustained in week two, which was scary for his future; Poyer played through numerous injuries all season. It forced the Buffalo Bills to pivot to their young safeties, who had very minimal starting experience, in a year when the team was all in for a Super Bowl run.
Rapp jumps right up into the category of being one of the best depth pieces in the league. He brings tons of experience, as he’s started in 48 of his 57 career games over the past four years for the Rams. The former second-round pick has 330 combined tackles, eight tackles-for-loss, nine interceptions, three fumble recoveries, and 23 passes defended in his career. Not to mention, he brings playoff experience as a former Super Bowl champion.
Being able to plug in a player of Rapp’s caliber is an amazing luxury for head coach Sean McDermott to have; who will be calling defensive plays next season.