The Buffalo Bills need help showing up their safety room, and some help may have just fallen into their lap.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the New England Patriots are releasing veteran safety Jabrill Peppers after three years with the team. The eight-year NFL veteran is a versatile defensive back who could fill some big holes in Buffalo’s secondary, one analyst suggests.
Bills Could Find Solution to Safety Woes
The Bills have veteran safety Taylor Rapp slated as their starting safety, but the team has been unable to find his counterpart, with both Cole Bishop and Damar Hamlin struggling in training camp and the preseason. While the Bills did add veteran Jordan Poyer to the practice squad for some leadership, he is not expected to see the field and the team may still need another addition.
Peppers could be the answer, SI.com’s Mike Moraitis suggested.
“With 85 career starts under his belt, Peppers would immediately check the box for what the Bills need,” Moratis wrote. “The former first-round pick is capable of playing deep and in the box, and his presence will quickly change the outlook of Buffalo’s safeties room.”
It could be difficult for the cap-strapped Bills to find the cap space needed to sign Peppers, but Moraitis suggested that he could come at an affordable price.
“The issue for the Bills here, as always, is the money. Buffalo is $6.1 million over the cap right now, so general manager Brandon Beane must move some money around to bring Peppers in,” Moraitis wrote. “That said, Peppers isn’t likely to garner a ton on the open market, so Beane doesn’t figure to have to do much shuffling to fit him in.”
Bills Expected to Add More Help
Bills head coach Sean McDermott was noncommittal on whether Bishop or Hamlin would earn the other starting job, leading some to suggest that the team planned to look outside the organization for more help. ESPNâs Dan Graziano hinted that the team could have a big trade coming to bring in some safety help.
âBut [the team is] still putting things together on the defensive side of the ball, where the Bills finished in the bottom half of the league last season with 5.5 yards allowed per play,â he wrote. âThe safety position has been a particularly thorny question mark, especially considering how important that position is in coach Sean McDermottâs defense.â
The Bills already made some investments into other areas of their defense, using the majority of their draft picks on the defensive line and secondary. The team also added veteran free agent Joey Bosa in an attempt to boost their inconsistent pass rush.
There are still some other unanswered questions on defense. The team used its first-round draft pick on cornerback Maxwell Hairston and brought back veteran corner Tre’Davious White, but both suffered injuries during training camp. Hairston is starting the season on injured reserve and White’s return timeline is not yet clear, leaving no clear answer on who will start the season at cornerback alongside Christian Benford.
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