The good news for NFL teams is that they still have a little bit of time to improve any position of need that they may need to upgrade for the start of the season. The bad news is that time is against them as training camp is right around the corner. As for the Buffalo Bills, they don’t have a ton of weaknesses and they have a lot of depth at many positions.
Their defense was bulked up this offseason with potential new starters and a lot of rotation in the trenches and the secondary (specifically at cornerback). One position that didn’t get a ton of notice this offseason by the Bills was their safety room. Yes, the team did bring back Damar Hamlin and signed Darrick Forrest from Washington, but they each only got one-year deals making them possible cut candidates after training camp.
Hamlin and Forrest should be competing against each other for a roster spot and will more than likely backup Taylor Rapp and Cole Bishop. The Bills also have Cam Lewis, who could also be competing for a roster spot but he can play the nickel spot as well making him more of a safe candidate to make the roster.
Bills' safety room facing criticism heading into 2025
Josh Edwards of CBS Sports listed the “biggest remaining need for every AFC team” with just a couple weeks away from the start of training camp, and Edwards believes that the Bills could use some improvement at safety.
"Buffalo did draft Ohio State safety Jordan Hancock in the fifth round, but a healthy competition is expected to ensue with Cole Bishop and Taylor Rapp. Cornerback would be another consideration given the recent judicial events involving first-round pick Maxwell Hairston. "Josh Edwards, CBS Sports
Hancock was drafted as a cornerback this past NFL Draft. While he could play safety, I would imagine that he would be a backup to Taron Johnson in the nickel. As for the actual safeties on the roster, Taylor Rapp was a serviceable safety who made some great plays last season. Bishop showed signs of great potential down the stretch and in the postseason and the Bills are hoping that he can take the next step forward.
That leaves a great competition between Hamlin and Forrest. Hamlin is familiar with the defensive scheme and is beloved in Buffalo. Forrest on the other hand is the better player who is more physical. It will be an interesting battle to watch but overall, the Bills are just fine at safety.