Bills Might Address Trade Safety Prior to the 2024 season, Damar Hamlin: Analyst
With the departure of safety Jordan Poyer and the free agency of safety Micah Hyde, the Buffalo Bills lost two of their longest-tenured players. One analyst thinks the secondary may see yet another change soon.
The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia made the prediction that fourth-year safety Damar Hamlin might have competition for his position this summer after the Bills added talent through free agency and the NFL draft in a post-draft analysis of the team’s roster.
Buscaglia said the Bills might try to move Hamlin as well.
Buscaglia stated, “Hamlin appears to be on the outside looking in on the roster this year.” “It wouldn’t be shocking if the Bills traded him before the season started.”
Following Hyde’s long-term injury in 2022, which forced him into the starting lineup, Hamlin had a serious setback in 2023 and saw action in just five games. Buscaglia speculated that Hamlin might have been overshadowed by some of the team’s recently acquired safety, even if the reduction in playing time may have been partially caused by Hamlin’s recuperation from a heart collapse on the field the previous season.
Bills’ Safety is “Up in the Air” After the losses of Hyde and Poyer, Buscaglia predicted that starting positions are “entirely up in the air” for this season, but he also mentioned that Taylor Rapp, who is back, and Cole Bishop, a second-round draft pick, probably have the inside track.
Buscaglia stated, “Rapp seems to be the safest bet to be on the first team through the spring and summer.” “If the Bills gave Bishop, [Mike] Edwards, and [Cam] Lewis an opportunity to earn it with the starting unit in practice, it wouldn’t be shocking.”
For Hamlin, who might find himself outside the roster bubble this summer, that could be an uphill battle.
Particularly towards the end of the summer, general manager of the Bills Brandon Beane has not shied away from dealing players who are on the verge of the roster bubble. In August 2023, the team sent defensive end Boogie Basham to the New York Giants, gaining a seventh-round draft pick in return for a sixth-round selection.
Bills Applauded for Including Youth Security
David Kenyon of Bleacher Report praised the Bills for drafting Bishop with their second-round pick, describing it as their best-value selection of the draft.
Bishop, Kenyon surmised, could contribute to occupying the space left by Poyer and Hyde’s exit.
“Buffalo has relied on veterans Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer at safety in recent years,” Kenyon wrote. Hyde is still a free agent, but Poyer inked a contract with the Miami Dolphins in free agency. Buffalo, which selected Cole Bishop (rated 41st by B/R) in the final seconds of the second round at No. 60 overall, is therefore very fortunate to have selected Bishop.
There might be more additions in the works. On April 18, Beane informed the media that he had spoken with Hyde and was unsure of the veteran safety’s next course of action. Beane stated that the Bills would consider bringing Hyde back if he pursued his NFL career.
Beane told reporters, “I don’t think he’s 100% on a decision either way.”
Leave a Reply