The Buffalo Bills have always had a solid secondary under Sean McDermott, even without Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde, and Tre’Davious White. While 2024 was a little bit of a weird season with a revamp of their secondary, it wasn’t their weakest point at all. Having McDermott, who was a defensive back himself in college, certainly helps with development and stability.
One big mistake that the Bills made in 2022 was drafting cornerback Kaiir Elam, who was supposed to be an impactful starter right from the start. Instead, that star was his classmate from the same draft class, Christian Benford.
In 2023, the Bills traded for cornerback Rasul Douglas from the Green Bay Packers after Buffalo struggled in the backend of the defense. They had just lost Tre’Davious White to a torn achilles and Elam was showing to be more of a liability. Douglas provided that immediate impact with the Bills and created some stability to help the Bills make it to the divisional round of the playoffs.
Douglas played his first full season in Buffalo, and it could very well be his last. He is set to hit free agency here very soon and it’s a big possibility that he will be on another team in 2025. If the Bills and Douglas do indeed part ways, there is a pending cornerback that would be the perfect fit for Buffalo’s defense.
CB Byron Murphy Jr. is a perfect match for Buffalo Bills
Earning his first Pro Bowl honor this past season, Murphy is set to have some suitors this free agency. He spent the first four years of his career with the Arizona Cardinals where he was solid, which included having four interceptions in 2021. He signed with the Minnesota Vikings in 2023 and he played a vitol role in the defense that was physical and fiesty under Brian Flores.
He had a career-high six interceptions in 2024 (9 total in the last two seasons) along with 14 pass deflections, another career-high. Murphy is able to play inside and outside the numbers, so he provides versatility that McDermott and his staff look for in secondary players.
According to Spotrac, Murphy’s market value is set at $22.1 million per season which is a lot and quite frankly, the Bills would have an extremely tough time getting that kind of deal. The good news is that Brandon Beane has magic when it comes to negotiating contracts.
If Douglas does hit free agency and moves on from Buffalo, the Bills need to definitely explore the option of seeing if getting Murphy is a possibility.