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As we enter Week 9, the Buffalo Bills sit atop the AFC with a record of 6-1. Josh Allen and the offense is among the best in the league, but there's still a major concern on the defensive side of the ball.
Buffalo is currently 30th in the NFL against the pass, and while they've seen some improvement at cornerback with Davison Igbinosun trending up lately, the safety position is still suspect. The depth is also more of a problem after they released C.J. Gardner-Johnson, which was 100 percent the right call following his spitting suspension.
With the NFL trade deadline approaching, the calls for Brandon Beane to get aggressive and add a difference-maker have been growing. Beane is apparently open for business, but if he's unable to get a starting-caliber safety, there might be another option on the table. Former Buffalo safety Taylor Rapp, who signed with the Denver Broncos this offseason, was released on Friday.
Brandon Beane loves reunions
General manager Brandon Beane heads off the field at the end of practice at the Buffalo Bills training camp. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
It might be easy to shake off the idea of bringing Rapp back to Buffalo since he wasn't the same player in Denver that we saw during his three-year stint with the Bills. We shouldn't do that, however, with Beane's track record. Beane loves bringing back players he knows well. Just last season, he signed Tre'Davious White, Jordan Poyer, Gabe Davis, Dane Jackson, and Shaq Lawson to help fill holes.
This year, he signed Kyle Allen as a backup quarterback. Allen was with the Bills in 2023, making this his second stint under Beane. The Bills also recently re-signed White to their practice squad, giving them some much-needed depth at cornerback. His desire to sign players he knows well makes Rapp a realistic option to fill some depth at safety.
Taylor Rapp has extensive starting experience
Buffalo Bills safety Taylor Rapp on the field against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Rapp was originally a second-round pick for the Los Angeles Rams in 2019. He spent four years in Los Angeles before signing with Buffalo ahead of the 2023 season.
Now in his eighth year in the NFL, Rapp has appeared in 96 games with 73 starts. He has 502 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 31 pass breakups, and 12 interceptions in his career. In three games with the Broncos, Rapp has an overall PFF grade of 50.1 and a coverage grade of 54.1.
He's not exactly a game-changer, which is why a reunion should only be on the table if the Bills strike out at the trade deadline.
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