The Buffalo Bills made a bit of a surprising move to bring back safety Damar Hamlin despite having Taylor Rapp and Cole Bishop as what we thought would be the presumed starters.
However, the Bills did not give Hamlin a big contract at all. He only received a one-year deal worth just $2 million. Due to this contract, this makes it easy for the Bills to either move on from Hamlin or have him as a backup.
In addition to bringing back Hamlin, the Bills also signed Darrick Forrest from Washington so there is some competition there. Hamlin does have experience with Buffalo’s scheme and he was a starter for the majority of last season. However, Bishop is destined to start over him and there is no way Rapp isn’t a Day 1 starter.
Damar Hamlin may lose starting role with Bills, if not a roster spot completely
There are some people who believe Hamlin could be a starter this year with Rapp, but I firmly believe that Bishop should be on the field as the Day 1 starter. Eric Edholm from NFL.com recently listed Hamlin as a veteran who could lose a starting role for 2025 and Edholm is right on points.
Here’s a bit on what Edholm said about Hamlin:
"[Cole] Bishop started a bit slowly in his rookie-year development but began to come on by season’s end. He might not be a major upgrade over Hamlin, but considering the Bills invested a second-round pick on Bishop, it stands to reason they’ll give him every chance to beat Hamlin out."Eric Edholm, NFL.com
Since Bishop is a second-round pick, it should be his spot to lose to Hamlin despite not having as much experience with the defense. Buffalo’s secondary is going through a bit of a rebuild and the hope is that Bishop can take a step forward to help the defense become stable. If Hamlin outperforms him and the Bills lean towards Hamlin as a starter, it will only hurt the future.