The Buffalo Bills are looking at making a veteran addition to their secondary.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the Bills held a free-agency visit with a cornerback who has close ties to the current coaching staff.
“Veteran CB James Bradberry is making a free-agent visit to the #Bills today, per source. Bradberry has ties to Buffalo GM Brandon Beane and HC Sean McDermott, who were with Carolina when the Panthers drafted him in 2016,” Fowler reported.
The Bills have a big hole in their secondary after starting cornerback Rasul Douglas hit free agency and the team could be exploring Bradberry as an option to help fill some of the void.
James Bradberry Looking to Bounce Back From Injury
The 31-year-old Bradberry has started 124 games over his nine NFL seasons, but is coming off an Achilles injury that wiped out his 2024 season. The Philadelphia Eagles released him in March with a post-June 1 designation.
The Bills could tap Bradberry to fill the starting role Douglas played opposite Christian Benford. The team created another hole in the secondary when they traded Kaiir Elam to the Dallas Cowboys, though did add some depth when they brought back Dane Jackson.
Reporter Justin Siejak of News 4 Buffalo speculated that the Bills may be kicking the tired on Bradberry to see how well he has recovered from last year’s major injury and whether he can still play at a high level in the NFL.
“I presume the #Bills are just testing the waters on Bradberry. Seeing where he’s at with his recovery,” Siejak wrote in a post on X. “If anything he’s likely a camp body/PS candidate for vet leadership. 32 years-old. If they’re set on adding a vet still, I’d just bring Rasul back.”
As Siejak noted, the Bills have said they’re open to bringing Douglas back on a new contract. General manager Brandon Beane said the door is open both for Douglas and veteran receiver Amari Cooper, both members of the 2024 Bills’ roster who remain unsigned after hitting free agency.
Bills Could Look for New Cornerback in NFL Draft
Many analysts expect the Bills to address their secondary in the upcoming NFL draft. NFL.com analyst Mike Band created a mock draft based on Draft IQ to project team needs and front office priorities, predicting the Bills will take Georgia safety Malaki Starks with the No. 30 overall pick.
Band noted that the Bills coaching staff already has some close connections to Starks and could lean on those when it comes to draft day.
“Bills cornerbacks coach Jahmile Addae was the primary recruiter who brought Starks to Georgia,” Band wrote. “In Sean McDermott’s cloud-heavy scheme, smart and rangy safety play is just as vital as strong cornerback depth.”
SI.com’s Ralph Ventre added that Starks could be a strong contributor for the Bills despite a lack of athleticism compared to his draft peers.
“His 40-yard dash time (4.50) was in the bottom half of NFL Combine participants at the safety position, but Starks still has a noticeable on-field athleticism,” Ventre wrote. “In 2024, the junior accounted for 77 tackles over 13 starts. He also returned four punts.”
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