One of the selections that the Buffalo Bills made this past weekend in the NFL Draft was getting South Carolina safety Jalon Kilgore in the 5th round. This came as a major surprise because a lot of people had thought that he would be off the board in the second or third round.
He was one of the most underrated safeties in this draft class and for him to fall as far as he did, Buffalo will get the chance to capitalize on that.
Adding Kilgore gives the Bills the opportunity of not just adding a potentially immediate starter, but it gives the Bills great flexibility after the 2026 season because the Bills already have C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Geno Stone to go with Cole Bishop.
Bills get massive flexibility for future of defense with Jalon Kilgore pick
The Bills have been looking for their next dynamic safety duo since the Micah Hyde-Jordan Poyer days. These two were part of the culture turnaround within the organization and they had established themselves as not just fan-favorites, but also as the best safety tandem in the NFL.
They not only helped change the culture, but they were perfect for what Buffalo’s defense was when it was Sean McDermott and Leslie Frazier calling the defense. Now with Jim Leonhard in charge, the Bills defense should be more aggressive and Kilgore could be exactly what the Bills need next to Bishop for years to come.
Kilgore should get some playing time as the season goes on and if he can grow as time goes on, he should be able to establish himself as Cole Bishop’s running mate on the back end of the defense.Â
While Gardner-Johnson and Stone were solid additions for now, they won’t be in Buffalo forever. Kilgore atleast will have a longer future with the Bills so the Bills already took care of a problem that would have popped up if Gardner-Johnson and Stone both ended up leaving after a year.
Buffalo will have roster needs to address next offseason, one of them being the offensive line on the interior. Safety was going to be the next position on the list, but now that Kilgore is on the team and has the potential to be an impactful player sooner than later, the Bills may have addressed an issue that would have eventually come.
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