Buffalo Rumblings
Defensive additions get the attention, but ST will see new faces
The Buffalo Bills’ offseason additions on the defensive side of the ball are dominating story lines and with good reason. Almost the entirety of the team’s most recent NFL Draft focused on defense, and the recent playoff disappointments from that side of the ball led to the general consensus that the investments were directionally prudent.
But there are multiple players who took meaningful special teams snaps in 2025 who aren’t around to take those snaps this year. Whether they aren’t with the Bills anymore or whether they’re slated for a role that would necessitate them not playing as often on teams, the overall unit will look different in 2025 than it did in 2024.
Who left and who’s likely going to play special teams for Buffalo this year? Let’s take a gander:
The departure of former third tight end Quintin Morris leaves the most significant hole in the group. Morris played 324 special teams snaps (72.65%) in 2024, second most on the team and only six snaps behind leader Reggie Gilliam who returns as the Bills’ fullback. The most obvious and logical choice is that sixth-round 2024 draft selection Jackson Hawes, as the new TE3 and a player who projects as a blocking tight end and teams role, steps into replace those snaps. Hawes played 454 special teams snaps over the course of his college career, and his scouting reports frequently noted his likely effectiveness in the role.
2024 second-round pick Cole Bishop represents the most interesting part of this discussion. Second-round picks don’t frequently end up playing 219 special teams snaps (49.10%) in their rookie season, but an offseason shoulder injury set him back in his quest to start at safety.
If his second season goes the way he was likely hoping his first would go, the ironic thing is that the man most likely to fill his spot on teams is the man who was ahead of him on the depth chart at his position last season: Damar Hamlin. Hamlin played 94 special teams snaps in 2023 and 53 even as a starter in 2024 to go along with 76 in 2022. He set a career high with 125 teams snaps in 2021, which puts him at 348 for his career.
Backup linebackers are a significant part of any team’s special teams unit, and there are two players who took notable snaps there in 2024 and are noteworthy here: Nicholas Morrow 182 snaps, 40.81%) and Baylon Spector (157, 35.20%). Morrow is no longer with the team, and, while the Bills signed former Carolina Panther Shaq Thompson recently to a one-year deal, the player most likely to see an increase to fill the Morrow gap is 2024 draft pick Edefuan Olofoshio, who saw 60 special teams snaps last season and profiled as that type of contributor coming out of the University of Washington.
Baylon Spector falls into his own category for this conversation, because he’s on the team,...
