Getty Taylor Rapp celebrates a play in a Buffalo Bills preseason game.
Buffalo Bills safety Taylor Rapp was loaded into an ambulance after a scary injury during the team’s November 19 game against the New York Jets, but the team got some good news on his condition shortly after halftime.
Rapp went down late in the second quarter, taking a hard hit and getting back to his feet before stumbling and going down to the turf. He was strapped to a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance, showing full movement in his hands.
Shortly after halftime, CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson shared a key update, noting that Rapp did not need to be taken to the hospital and was being treated in the locker room.
The Bills announced that Rapp was ruled out for the game, one of a number of injuries that hit the defense in the key divisional game.
Bills safety Taylor Rapp is being taken off the field in an ambulance. Rapp was part of the collision with Hall & Johnson, stumbled, and then fell to the ground a few seconds later. Very, very scary.
Taylor Rapp Among Several Injuries for Bills
The Bills got more good news on Rapp after the game, with head coach Sean McDermott telling reporters that he was able to go home and did not require any hospitalization.
UPDATE: Bills safety Taylor Rapp did not require hospitalization after being taken off the field by an ambulance during Buffalo’s win over the Jets Sunday. “I believe Taylor is at home right now, which is a good thing,” coach Sean McDermott said.
The Bills were already thin in the secondary going into Sunday’s game, having lost cornerback Tre’Davious White to a season-ending Achilles tear and placing second-year cornerback Kaiir Elam on injured reserve.
The secondary was hit again during the game, with the Bills losing Rapp to a neck injury and cornerback Taron Johnson to a concussion.
Prayers for #Bills S Taylor Rapp…
He had to be carted into an ambulance after falling to the ground following a tackle.
The injuries forced the Bills to rely heavily on newcomer Rasul Douglas, who came to Buffalo in a trade deadline deal with the Green Bay Packers. Douglas caught his first interception as a member of the Bills on Sunday, picking off Jets quarterback Zach Wilson.
As The Athletic noted, Douglas was an important acquisition for the Bills at the trade deadline.
“Cornerback was the biggest need for Buffalo at the deadline, but also among the hardest players to pry away from other teams,” the report noted. “Landing a veteran cornerback such as Douglas is a terrific acquisition, and the price tag reflects that. Green Bay also sent a fifth-round draft choice in exchange for a third-round pick.”
Damar Hamlin the Next Man Up
If Rapp should miss significant time, the Bills would likely turn to third-year safety Damar Hamlin to provide more depth. After starting 13 games last season after Micah Hyde suffered a season-ending injury, Hamlin has been a healthy scratch in all but three games this year.
Hamlin, who returned to the team after suffering cardiac arrest on the field in a January game against the Cincinnati Bengals, said he wants to focus on settling back into a role with the team.
“As much as I want to be a superstar, man, I don’t like the spotlight. I don’t like all the attention that comes with it, positive or negative,” he said in a November 1 interview with The Associated Press. “But I’m here standing in front of it and I’m leading the charge, and I’m super excited to continue to do that.”
Hamlin earned some praise from the veteran Hyde, who said the team’s return to Cincinnati in Week 9 was an important step both for him and the rest of the Bills.
“His mindset all around is truly inspiring,” Hyde said. “I’m excited for him. And it’ll be good for our team to get back there and get back on the field obviously for D-Ham’s sake, but even the guys that attended that game last year.”
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