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The Buffalo Bills have a big hole in the back of their secondary after parting ways with safety Jordan Poyer and losing fellow safety Micah Hyde to free agency, but now could be working on a replacement.
Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz reported on March 18 that the Bills were hosting free agent safety Julian Blackmon for a visit this week. The former Indianapolis Colts safety is coming off a career-best season and could be in line for a starting job if he should sign with the Bills.
But landing Blackmon may not be an easy task, with Schultz reporting that he is generating significant interest on the open market and has “several” other suitors.
Bills Looking to Add Versatile Safety
Though the Bills lost two cornerstones of their defense in Hyde and Poyer, SI.com’s Anthony Licciardi suggested that Blackmon’s versatility would help him fill the void.
“Blackmon would easily slide into Hyde’s role as the free safety in head coach Sean McDermott’s defense. However, his versatility may be an added bonus for Buffalo, who could play him in the box more than some anticipate,” Licciardi wrote.
Licciardi added that Blackmon has shown an ability to move across positions in the secondary during his time in Indianapolis.
“Blackmon saw career-high snap counts in the box and at slot corner in 2022 and followed that up with a more pronounced change,” he wrote. “Blackmon spent 48.3 percent of his snaps at free safety in 2022 compared to 9.3 percent in the box. Last year, those percentages shifted to 31.2 percent and 47.4 percent respectively.”
Blackmon is coming off a career-best season in 2023, making 88 total tackles to go along with four interceptions and eight passes defended.
Bills Shoring Up Their Secondary
The Bills have already taken some steps to address their secondary, re-signing another versatile defensive back in Cam Lewis. He played at both safety and cornerback, while also serving as a mainstay on special teams.
The Bills also brought back another key member of the secondary on March 18, agreeing to a three-year, $31 million contract extension with nickel cornerback Taron Johnson. As NFL.com’s Nick Shook noted, it is a major pay raise for Johnson after a career-best season.
“Johnson’s deal pushes him past Colts cornerback Kenny Moore as the highest-paid nickel in the NFL, with $31 million sneaking the Bills veteran ahead of Moore by $1 million,” Shook wrote. “Johnson earned the extension by posting his best overall season of his career, according to Pro Football Focus, which handed him his top defensive grade (77.5), placing him 17th among all cornerbacks and one spot ahead of Moore.”
While general manager Brandon Beane warned there would not be any blockbuster moves in free agency due to the team’s tight salary cap sitaution, the Bills have invested resources in other areas of their defense. They re-signed defensive tackle DaQuan Jones and edge rusher A.J. Epenesa.
The Bills have also seen some subtractions to their secondary. Aside from the departuers of Hyde and Poyer, the team also released All-Pro cornerback Tre’Davious White and watched veteran backup Dane Jackson leave in free agency.
