Anytime the Buffalo Bills have been contenders, it has been their offense that has garnered the bulk of the credit. But you can’t be a great team without great defensive players, and the Bills have had their fair share throughout the years.
With so many looking ahead to the NFL Draft, we thought it would be fun to look back at some of the most underrated players in Bills history. Though these players had an impact, they wouldn’t rank among the handful of greats at their position in franchise history. Even still, they deserve their flowers and recognition for their contributions.
What Bills safeties have been some of the best in franchise history?
Kurt Schulz (1992-1999)
There are a lot of memorable players on the Buffalo Bills defenses of the 1990s. For those who lived through the era, Kurt Schulz was someone who stood out just enough to be recognized by the diehards for the excellent player he was.
Taken 195th overall in the 1992 NFL Draft, Schulz turned into as solid a safety as the Bills have seen. By his fourth season, he had moved from cornerback to free safety, starting virtually every game for the next five seasons.
During his time in Buffalo, Schulz was a solid tackler and underrated ballhawk, amassing 21 interceptions and recovering four fumbles. His contributions are a bit lost because they came at the end of the Super Bowl-era Bills run, but Schulz was as reliable as they come.
Aaron Williams (2011-2016)
Aaron Williams feels like one of the more prominent “what if” cases in Buffalo Bills history. Taken in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft, Williams initially started at one of the boundary corner positions before moving to safety for the 2013 season.
Williams was very good over the next two seasons, intercepting five passes and making more than 150 tackles. Unfortunately, injuries became a major factor, limiting him to just 10 games over what would be the final two seasons of his career.
One of the standouts of the drought-era teams, Williams felt like he was really becoming one of the better safeties in the league when injuries derailed his career. But even in his short time, he left an impact on Bills fans.
Donte Whitner (2006-2010)
Donte Whitner came in with big expectations and immediately became impactful – literally. It didn’t take long for him to show the hard-hitting hits he would deliver.
Twice in Buffalo, he registered more than 100 tackles, with an eye-popping 140 in 2010. He would go on to have his best seasons with two other teams (San Francisco and Cleveland), though many felt he should have been a Bills lifer.
If he had stuck around another two years, Whitner would easily be in the top 3-4 safeties in franchise history. As it stands, he had an impactful tenure but left before he could do even more.
Cole Bishop: The next great Bills safety?
The Bills have a lot of questions to answer defensively but they may have found their next star safety in Cole Bishop. He started to emerge as a legitimate star in his second season and will be a big factor for the defense going forward.
They have a few veterans that will compete for the other spot and fill depth, but they may also make an addition in the draft. Finding someone who can pair up nicely with Bishop would solidify the back end of the defense.
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