Buffalo Bills safety Cole Bishop didn’t have an ideal start to his rookie season in 2024. After injuring his shoulder early in last year’s training camp, he fell behind the eight ball in terms of preparing to be ready to play at the NFL level.
Because of this, veteran Damar Hamlin took the safety spot opposite Taylor Rapp and ran with it.
Bishop saw his first NFL start in a Week 5 loss to the Houston Texans, in which he struggled and allowed a long touchdown. He saw just four starts over the course of the season but appeared in 16 games and started playing well down the stretch. Stepping in for an injured Rapp in the AFC championship game, Bishop led the team with 10 tackles.
This year, Bishop is hoping to make more of an impact on the Bills defense, and he’s been in the lab since early in the offseason to make sure he’s ready to go for year two.
“I was back home for a little bit, but came back pretty early for training,” Bishop said, according to Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. “So me and [Rapp] have been up here for a while now… we’ve been working together a good bit. Obviously I have my own technical things and everything, but just trying to play faster, play more free. Compared to this time last year, I feel a lot more comfortable, obviously. So, just trying to embrace that.”
Fellow safety, Rapp, has liked what he’s seen from the young player out of Utah.
“He’s very young,” Rapp said. “He came into this league 20, 21 years old so… very mature beyond his years. He’s taking all those coaching points. He’s a great teammate, a great leader… I’m looking forward to seeing him step up this year.”
Bishop was a three-time Pac-12 All-Conference selection and a 2023 Jim Thorpe award semifinalist (given to the nation’s top defensive back). He plays a lot like Rapp, as he loves to fly around and make plays on the ball. Having the two of them on the back end can offer scheme versatility for head coach Sean McDermott and defensive coordinator Bobby Babich.
Babich is one who agrees with the fact that Bishop seems more comfortable this offseason.
“The jump we’ve seen from Cole from that first year as a rookie to this year has been really good so far,” Babich said according to Rochester D&C. “There’s a lot of room left, but it’s been really good so far. I think it’s just the comfortability of what we’re doing. It’s the more reps he gets of one call, that you just see him taking more control. You go back to it, he didn’t play in training camp, right, and that was valuable reps missed out. So I think just the comfortability and what we’re trying to do in the second year is tremendous for him.”
Bishop is hoping to be a big part in the Bills defense in 2025 as the unit tries to return to its effectiveness of past years. The team ranked 17th in the NFL in 2024 in yards allowed per game (341.5) after being ranked in the top-ten each of the three years prior.
The team went heavy on defense in the draft, but it was mostly on the defensive line and at cornerback. Every indication suggests that Bishop will be stepping into a big-time role as a starter, and with the assistance of coaches and the veteran Rapp, his newfound comfortability this offseason should continue to grow further.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Bills safety Cole Bishop ‘a lot more comfortable’ entering year 2 in NFL
Reporting by Kam Towle, Bills Wire / Bills Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
