Bills might not be done adding players after telling response from Sean McDermott, and former All-Pro defender would be the ideal fit
Sean McDermott left nothing to the imagination. It was an ugly game, and change needs to happen.
Sean McDermott was more than a little displeased with the performance he saw out of the Buffalo Bills during the blowout loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 2 of the preseason. The head coach may have shown his hand a little during comments made after the game.
“We gotta look at the film,” McDermott said. “Really just see who we have, who can help us, what we may need, and then also things that we can just do better execution-wise, fundamentally. Those things. So there’s a lot that needs to be cleaned up.”
Justin Simmons to Buffalo?
The big thing to focus on there is when he mentioned, “what we may need.” If you ask Bills Mafia, a large portion of the fan base would likely say the same thing: The team needs help at the safety position. Luckily for Buffalo, a former All-Pro mentioned the team by name just a few months ago when asked what team he’d like to play for. That man is none other than Justin Simmons.
On what he’s looking for in his next team, “Really, the only attractiveness is the team that’s going to give themselves a chance to go to the playoffs and go win. As much as I’ll always be a Denver Bronco, I know the eight years that I was there were rough. Not having a playoff appearance, especially coming off that Super Bowl win that they (Denver) had.”
That’s when Buffalo was mentioned by name, “Teams like Buffalo, Philly, Cincinnati. Teams like that that have always been in the mix … It would be special.”
Now, the Bills wouldn’t just be able to sign him outright. Currently, Buffalo only has a little more than $1.3 million available in cap space, and it’s going to take a bit more than that to bring in Simmons. Never say never, though. Brandon Beane has shown that he’s willing to take a swing if he feels as though it’ll help the team be more competitive.
However, it’ll require a bit more of his magic to navigate the cap situation. A few restructures, or maybe even a trade involving Curtis Samuel, could get the team to where they need to be. Samuel is more of a stretch, but as injuries continue to keep him off the field, he’s got a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it. McDermott expressed how the time is now for the veteran receiver. It wouldn’t be as simple as cutting Samuel; they’d need to find a trade partner, which makes life that much more difficult. Not impossible, simply just an option.
An immediate boost to the defense
After the loss, the idea of adding Simmons is more than a little intriguing. The four-time second-team All-Pro selection would immediately boost the entire unit and give guys like Jordan Hancock invaluable experience as the rookie continues to impress in camp and during the preseason.
In nine seasons, Simmons has started in 124 games with 32 interceptions, 4.5 sacks, more than 600 combined tackles, and even a touchdown to boot. The 32-year-old veteran safety has been in the league since 2016 and spent most of his career with the Denver Broncos, outside of 2024, when he spent one year playing for the Atlanta Falcons.
With the regular season just a few weeks away, if McDermott is serious about taking a look at what the team may need, it’s the perfect time for the front office to pick up the phone and see where Simmons is at. The sky isn’t falling, the world isn’t on fire, but there’s a legitimate reason to be concerned over the current Bills’ safety unit.
Cole Bishop did not look great in the contest after being injured for his second straight training camp and missing valuable reps. The two starting safeties for Buffalo on their unofficial depth chart are Taylor Rapp and Bishop. While Bishop was paired with Damar Hamlin for the beginning of the contest, Caleb Williams and the first-team offense made them both look silly.
Who are the remaining free agent safeties
Simmons has a lot of tread on his tires, and by no means set the league on fire during his lone season with the Falcons. The veteran likely only has a few more years in the league, but his experience and resume speak for themselves. That, and he mentioned Buffalo by name.
General manager Brandon Beane and the front office always love to do their due diligence. With that, let’s take a look at some other safety options that are available on the market today.
- Marcus Williams: 29-year-old free safety who previously played for the Baltimore Ravens. His former AAV (Average Annual Value) was $14 million.
- Justin Simmons: 31-year-old free safety who previously played for the Atlanta Falcons. His former AAV was $7.5 million.
- Jordan Whitehead: 28-year-old strong safety who previously played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His former AAV was $4.5 million.
- George Odum: 31-year-old who can play both free and strong safety, previously played for the San Francisco 49ers. His former AAV was $3.75 million.
- Jordan Poyer: 34-year-old free safety who previously played for the Miami Dolphins. His former AAV was $2 million.
- Marcus Maye: 31-year-old who primarily played free safety but has experience playing strong as well. Previously played for the Los Angeles Chargers, and his former AAV was $1.3 million.
- John Johnson: 29-year-old strong safety who previously played for the Los Angeles Rams. His former AAV was $1.3 million.
The rest of the available players include: Rodney McLeod, Tashaun Gipson, Von Bell, Adrian Colbert, Andre Chachere, Ryan Neal, Micah Abernathy, Trevor Denbow, and Douglas Coleman.
With teams needing to shave down their roster heading into the regular season, this could also be an area where the Bills pick up a safety on the cheap. Still, work needs to be done with the current cap situation before they do anything with any of the guys listed above, outside of a phone call.
Depth is a concern right now.
Buffalo Bills News
Sean McDermott doesn’t hold back when asked about the team’s performance in preseason blowout loss to the Chicago Bears
Sean McDermott wasn’t too pleased with the team’s performance, and we can’t blame him.
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