Analyst; Bills Could Trade Safety Damar Hamlin This Season
According to an analyst, the Buffalo Bills might undergo further alteration in their secondary after losing safety Micah Hyde and releasing fellow safety Jordan Poyer – two of their longest-serving players who hit free agency.
Joe Buscaglia from The Athletic projected in his review of the team’s lineup after the draft that Damar Hamlin, a safety entering his fourth year, may need to compete for his position this summer due to new talent acquired by the Bills via free agency and through drafting.
Hamlin was forced into the starting lineup in 2022 following Hyde’s debilitating injury. However, his performance significantly declined in 2023 as he only managed to play five games. Although Hamlin may have been struggling due to recovering from a cardiac arrest that occurred during the previous season, Buscaglia suggested that some of the team’s fresh safety recruits might have surpassed him.
Safety ‘Up in the Air’ for Bills This Season
According to Buscaglia, the possibility of securing a starting position is uncertain following Hyde and Poyer’s exits. However, he acknowledged that Taylor Rapp who is returning from his previous role and Cole Bishop as the second-round draft pick may have an advantage over other candidates.
According to Buscaglia, Rapp appears to be the most secure choice for making it onto the first team during spring and summer. However, there is a possibility that Bishop, Edwards and Lewis may get an opportunity in practice to prove themselves worthy of earning a spot on the top unit as well.
Hamlin could potentially face a challenging situation as he may struggle to secure his spot on the team roster during this summer. Additionally, Buscaglia anticipates that Hamlin might even be traded by the Bills.
Buscaglia wrote that Hamlin appears to be left out of the team’s roster this season and it wouldn’t come as a shock if the Bills decide to trade him before the start of the season.
Brandon Beane, the general manager of the Bills, has a track record of trading players who are on the brink of falling off their roster. This tendency holds true particularly towards end summer periods. In August 2023, for instance,, they traded defensive end Boogie Basham to New York Giants in exchange for a sixth-round pick and adding another seventh-rounder into consideration as well.
Adding young safety draws praise for Bills.
Bishop’s selection by the Bills in the second round won them acclaim, with David Kenyon of Bleacher Report lauding it as the most cost-effective pick made during their entire draft.
According to Kenyon, Bishop was anticipated as a suitable replacement for Hyde and Poyer in order to fill the vacancy.
According to Kenyon’s writing, Buffalo has relied heavily on their veteran safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde in the recent years. Nevertheless, since Poyer opted for free agency by signing with Miami Dolphins while Hyde is currently a free agent – obtaining Cole Bishop (who was ranked 41st by B/R) as their safety pick at No.60 overall during the concluding stages of the second round proves beneficially opportune for Buffalo.
According to Beane, he has been in talks with Hyde and is uncertain of the veteran safety’s future plans. However, if Hyde chooses to continue playing football professionally, the Bills would consider re-signing him. As such, there remains a possibility for another addition to the team roster.
Beane told reporters that he believed the individual was not completely certain about their decision.
