Bills veteran CB already seeing improvement over promising rookie safety

One of the biggest stories to come out of the early part of the Buffalo Bills’ 2024 training camp has been the legitimacy of their rumored battle at safety. The team parted ways with stalwart starters Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer in the offseason, setting the stage for the spots to be filled by some combination of returning contributor Taylor Rapp, fourth-year defensive back Damar Hamlin, drafted free agent Mike Edwards and second-round draft pick Cole Bishop.

Head coach Sean McDermott gave his intentions away in June when he revealed that Rapp was a starter, and that has been the case throughout the first three days of training camp, as he has been the only safety to see regular playing time with the first team. Hamlin, Edwards and Bishop lined up alongside him on days one, two and three, respectively, indicating that he is a real a competition and not a competition anchored in the coach’s speech.

The best player will ultimately win the job, and despite being the last defender in the rotation, Bishop made an impact in his first appearance with the first team, darting into the backfield to record a possible sack had he been wearing pads. Defensive coordinator Bobby Babich said Friday morning that he wants impactful safeties who “make plays”; Bishop has done just that in his limited opportunities.

Related: Bills rookie Cole Bishop gets first-team reps as safety battle continues

The climb to the starting lineup may be difficult for Bishop, who must replace a sixth-year player and a three-year defender to sit atop the depth chart. He is starting to show signs of improvement and adjusting to the NFL, though; nickel back Taron Johnson praised the rookie in a post-practice address to the media Friday, saying his communication is improving every day.

“It’s getting better, you know what I mean?” Johnson said. “Spring is always tough for rookies coming in and learning, our defense is pretty solid. It takes a lot of study and a lot of reps, and you can see he’s feeling good on the field.”

Bishop has to improve day by day to become a starter. Babich said as much in his press conference Friday, saying adopting a “day-to-day mentality” was his biggest “challenge” in training camp. The 21-year-old has all the talent in the world and seems like a perfect fit for Buffalo’s defense. He’s a versatile, well-built defender who can thrive in coverage as well as in the box. He had 198 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, 12 pass deflections and three interceptions during his time in Utah.

The Bills defense is one that often puts its safeties in position to make plays, and given his skill set, Bishop seems like a natural successor to the role left vacant by Poyer. Whether or not he’ll make it to the position as a rookie remains to be seen, but the fact that he’s already showing improvement in key areas is encouraging.

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