Buffalo Rumblings
The Buffalo Bills have toiled through an entire offseason program, working through minicamp, training camp, Hard Knocks, and the preseason. Now, they’re ready for the regular season to begin. With the team’s 53-man roster set — for now — we have a clearer picture of each positional group. After an offseason full of speculation, we can finally begin to focus on the real games.
One position in particular has captivated Bills fans this summer, and that’s the safety room. While one starter has been known for some time, the second man in the secondary’s final line of defense has been a struggle. We know who the coaching staff seems to want there, but we haven’t been able to see exactly how that would go.
In our latest installment of “90 players in 90 days,” we discuss the man who everyone knew would be one of the team’s two starting safeties.
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Name: Taylor Rapp
Number: 9
Position: S
Height/Weight: 6’, 208 pounds
Age: 27 (28 on 12/22/2025)
Experience/Draft: 7; selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the second round (No. 61 overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft
College: Washington
Acquired: Signed with Buffalo on 3/31/2023
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Rapp enters the second year of his three-year deal that he signed before last season began. The contract is worth $10.625 million in total. For this season, Rapp’s cap hit is $3,666,666. If he’s released, Buffalo will carry a dead-cap charge of $2,858,334.
2024 Recap: Rapp slotted in as a full-time starter for the second time in his career last season, and for the first time as a member of the Bills. He started 14 games in the regular season, missing three games due to injury. He suffered a concussion in Buffalo’s Week 4 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, causing him to miss their Week 5 loss to the Houston Texans. He then suffered a neck injury against the Rams in Week 14, a game the Bills also lost, before sitting out two straight victories against the Detroit Lions and the New England Patriots.
Rapp finished the regular season with 82 tackles, two interceptions, six pass breakups, two tackles for loss, and one forced fumble. He allowed 69% of the passes thrown his way to be completed for a total of 343 yards and three scores.
In the postseason, Rapp totaled three tackles, an interception, and a pass breakup in his two games. He once again suffered an injury against the Ravens, as he left the game with a hip injury that caused him to miss the AFC Championship Game.
Positional outlook: Rapp is set to start next to second-year man Cole Bishop. Damar Hamlin is the likely top backup, with rookie Jordan Hancock and special teams ace Cam Lewis also ready to slot in if necessary.
2025 Offseason: Rapp is healthy and ready to roll this season.
2025 Season outlook: The Bills need a big year from Rapp this season, as one of their calling cards in the early days...
