ORCHARD PARK — Cole Bishop’s eyes glanced the wrong way for less than a second. That’s all it took for Houston Texans receiver Nico Collins to run by for an easy 67-yard touchdown.
Buffalo Bills cornerback Rasul Douglas gave Bishop an earful before Collins even crossed the goal line. It was Week 5 and Bishop’s first NFL start after being drafted in the second round in April.
The day after Bishop was drafted, Bills general manager Brandon Beane made it known how excited the Bills were to have gotten Bishop, while simultaneously pumping the brakes on any ideas he was an immediate replacement for Jordan Poyer or Micah Hyde. Safety is among the most difficult positions to learn in the NFL and it’s even harder in Buffalo’s scheme.
Rookie safeties almost never start for coach Sean McDermott, dating back to his days as a defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles. The communication and disguising are more important than physical traits once the ball is snapped and a newcomer to the system can feel like they are drowning.
Bishop had his struggles subbing for Taylor Rapp while he recovered from a concussion early in the season and he had a few in his second career start against the Detroit Lions in Week 15. But Bishop’s lightbulb appears to have turned on and it’s brightening with every start he gets.
“I’m just learning,” Bishop told GNN Sports. “I’ve gotten a lot more reps (since earlier in the season). In practice, in games, every rep is just helping you feel more comfortable out there.”
Bishop’s NFL beginnings were stunted when he injured his shoulder on the third day of training camp and his recovery extended almost the entire preseason. He was already battling veterans Damar Hamlin and Mike Edwards for a starting job and Hamlin seized it through his knowledge of the defense and injuries to prolonged Bishop and Edwards.
When Hyde didn’t re-sign in the offseason and Poyer was released, not only did the Bills draft Bishop and re-sign Rapp, but they also added four veterans between free agency and the preseason. When Week 1 arrived, the Bills named Rapp and Hamlin, the two safeties with most experience in the defense as the starters, but even Rapp needed a full season in the system to get comfortable.
“It took Po and I a full season to really get comfortable with all the adjustments we needed to make week-to-week,” Hyde said. “… Going on our second season is when we started to know the playbook like the back of our hand and we’ve been through and installed plenty of times. … I don’t know how he was in the beginning, but I know that now he’s an intelligent football player and instinctive. So I’m eager to see him finish off this season.”
When Bishop arrived in Buffalo, he quickly latched on to Edwards, who was signed on a one-year deal after spending four years with the Buccaneers and last year with the Chiefs. But after being a healthy scratch six times in the first nine weeks, Edwards requested his release and it was granted.
When Hyde re-signed to the practice squad Dec. 5, Bishop immediately started seeking his advice. But whether it’s coaches or veterans, Bishop is constantly trying to pick up more information and feedback, which is why Hyde is strategic when he gives input so that Bishop isn’t overloaded.
At 6-foot-2, 207 pounds, Bishop is a longer, heavier safety than they have used under McDermott. Bishop showed his explosiveness at the NFL scouting combine by running a 4.45-second 40-yard dash and recording a 39-inch vertical leap.
But what Bishop adds to the defense is a safety who can play near the line of scrimmage and be an enforcer against the run. In three seasons at Utah, Bishop played 73% of his snaps near the line of scrimmage.
If the Bills bring a safety into the box or blitz one, it’s typically Hamlin, who is roughly 10 pounds lighter.
“He’s already, to me, a freak athlete. Just how big he is and how well he can move,” Bills cornerback Taron Johnson said. “But what sets him apart, I think, is his mindset and how he’s so coachable, always listening to the coaches and talking to the older guys, trying to see how they see things. And I feel like he’s going to be a really good player.”
Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich said Bishop is improving with each rep. But for most of the season, Bishop wasn’t getting many. At least not during games.
While Bishop was learning in practices and watching film, there is no way to simulate how to execute all of the information gleaned at the speed in which games are played in the NFL. For Bishop, that wasn’t an easy transition, especially for a player who was used to learning by doing in college.
In Bishop’s first true action over 2 ½ games, it seemed like the Bills were trying to bring him along slowly. He played in the box roughly 53% of the time as Buffalo preferred a two-high safety look.
But against the New England Patriots, Bishop played in the box on 50 of 73 snaps. In Bishop’s three starts, the Bills have allowed 89.3 yards rushing on 3.7 yards per carry, compared to 125.5 yards on 4.8 yards per carry in the other 12 games.
And it’s also easy to see Bishop becoming a better communicator on the field. On safety Cam Lewis’ interception, Bishop effectively communicated a Banjo coverage with linebacker Dorian Williams, where the outside defender takes the inside receiver, and without that communication, Lewis isn’t able to bait Patriots quarterback Drake Maye into throwing at Williams’ receiver.
“When we get the game plan, I try to get all the fundamentals of it, all the details and just try and execute it,” Bishop said. “So whatever they’re asking, I just try to execute to the best of my ability.”
NOTES: S Damar Hamlin (rib), DB Cam Lewis (shoulder), S Taylor Rapp (neck) and WR Curtis Samuel (rib) all wore red non-contact jerseys and were limited in Thursday’s practice. … OL Tylan Grable did not practice for personal reasons.