Will Cole Bishop start as a rookie for the Buffalo Bills?

There’s a lot of change going on in the starting lineup at safety for the University of Utah, with Cole Bishop and Sione Vaki now in the NFL.

There’s also plenty of turnover for Bishop in his new home, as the Buffalo Bills must replace both safety starters at the back end of their defense.

Will Bishop end up being a starter during his rookie NFL campaign?

As a late second-round draft pick, the former Ute is expected to earn a significant role in the Bills secondary, particularly with two longtime starting safeties, Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer, no longer with the team.

The next step in Bishop’s early career kicks off this week, as Buffalo begins training camp.

Rookies already reported last week, and veterans reported to camp Tuesday. The Bills open training camp with their first practice Wednesday.

What does Cole Bishop bring to the Buffalo Bills?

Bishop heads to Buffalo after an accomplished career at Utah.

He started 29 games for the Utes over the past three seasons and was a three-time All-Pac-12 honoree, finishing his college career with 197 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, 14 pass deflections, 7.5 sacks, four fumble recoveries, three interceptions and a forced fumble.

From the onset, it was clear the expectations were that Bishop was a good fit in Buffalo — and that he’d have a chance to contribute early.

“Bishop is at his best when playing with forward vision at the second and third levels of the field, and he joins a Bills defense that aligned in two-high on 56.3% of coverage snaps last season, the most in the league. It will allow Bishop to drive top-down on the ball and attack the alleys as a run defender,” ESPN’s Matt Bowen wrote about Bishop not long after he was the No. 60 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

“When the Bills do spin to single-high coverage, Bishop can play as an enforcer underneath. Buffalo moved on from safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer , so the door is open for Bishop to play an impact role as a rookie. He had 59 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions last season, doing a little bit of everything.”

What is the safety situation for the Buffalo Bills?

Over the past seven seasons, Hyde and Poyer started alongside each other for the Bills, combining for more than 200 starts between the pair in Buffalo.

Both players earned All-Pro honors in 2021, and Poyer was named to the Pro Bowl in 2022.

Now, Hyde is a free agent — he told WGRZ in May he’ll either play for Buffalo in 2024 or retire — and Poyer has signed with AFC East rival Miami after being released in March.

Bishop is the only rookie in a five-man safety group for the Bills.

The most experienced safety on the team now is Taylor Rapp. He started 48 games over four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams before joining Buffalo last year and playing in all 16 games (with four starts) while posting 50 tackles, two pass deflections, one tackle for loss, a QB hit and a fumble recovery.

Mike Edwards is another veteran with starting experience. He played four seasons in Tampa Bay, starting 12 games in 2022, before joining Kansas City last season.

Both Rapp and Edwards joined the league in 2019.

Damar Hamlin is in his third season with Buffalo, though less than a year and a half following his on-field cardiac arrest incident The Buffalo News’ Ryan O’Halloran listed him as a potential cut candidate.

Dee Delaney is an offseason acquisition and the seventh-year pro is on his fourth NFL team after three seasons with the Buccaneers.

Will Cole Bishop start as a rookie for the Buffalo Bills?

This sets up a likely scenario where Bishop will be counted on to contribute early in his career — much like another former Ute, tight end Dalton Kincaid, who had a strong rookie season last year for the Bills and was listed as a breakout candidate this year by NFL.com ’s Bucky Brooks.

Two national outlets are torn on whether Bishop will start for the Bills when the 2024 season kicks off in September. ESPN projected that Rapp and Edwards will get the starting nods, while NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal put Bishop in the starting lineup alongside Edwards.

In naming Bishop to their respective all-rookie impact rankings, NFL.com’s Chad Reuter and ESPN’s Field Yates highlight some aspects of his game that make him a candidate for early playing time.

“His speed, blitzing ability and man-to-man coverage skills will get him on the field,” Yates wrote.

“Bishop will be one of the league’s better tacklers from Day 1, stopping ball-carriers in the open field thanks to his plus athleticism and knowledge of the game,” Reuter wrote, while adding, “If Hyde does re-sign with the Bills, perhaps Bishop’s role won’t be quite as big right off the bat, but I think he could become a respected player early in his NFL career.”

In an article from The Athletic’s Tim Graham during OTAs in June, first-year Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich explained that in order for rookies to earn playing time in his system, they must prove to be trustworthy. That includes Bishop.

“I’ve seen a player that has a bright future, but he’s a rookie,” Babich told Graham of Bishop. “So there’s learning. There’s growth, and (safeties coach) Joe Danna is doing everything he can to get him as up to speed as possible.”

Key dates ahead for the Buffalo Bills

Between now and the start of the regular season, when Buffalo hosts Arizona in its season opener on Sept. 8, those opportunities for Bishop to prove himself trustworthy will include practices and preseason games.

The Bills open the preseason with a home game against the Chicago Bears on Aug. 10.

Following a road game at Pittsburgh on Aug. 17, Buffalo will play its final preseason game at home against Carolina on Aug. 24.

Two weeks after that, it’s go time for Bishop and the Bills with the matchup against the Cardinals.