The safety position group is one of the more critical questions that the Buffalo Bills need to answer throughout training camp and the preseason, and the camp competition just took a big blow.
Veteran safety Mike Edwards, who was viewed by many as a potential starter, will be sidelined for a while during this critical part of the offseason schedule.
Mike Edwards considered 'week-to-week' with a hamstring injury
Taylor Rapp is locked in as a starter at the back of the secondary, but the other starting safety spot is very much up for grabs. Edwards being sidelined with a hamstring injury hurts his chances at locking up the other spot, but it doesn't take him out of the running completely.
“It’s a part of the game, on one hand. The other part is, in order to get the scheme down the way you need to get it down, you need to be out there. Mike’s a pro, he’s been around it before, so I’m sure he’ll do his best to stay up on the mental end of things here in the scheme.”
Edwards, who came over this offseason after stops with Kansas City and Tampa Bay, certainly still needs to learn Buffalo's scheme and build chemistry. Missing out on valuable reps in training camp, and potentially preseason games, is far from ideal.
Damar Hamlin and Cole Bishop will look to capitalize on more opportunities
With Edwards out, Damar Hamlin and rookie Cole Bishop are going to get more looks. The two bring different strengths to the table, but have a lot to prove in order to be on the field Week 1.
In today's practice, the first of the offseason with pads on, it was Bishop that took the first team reps with Edwards sidelined. The athleticism and versatility is apparent with Bishop, but learning the scheme is something he'll need to grow in quickly. Head coach Sean McDermott seems happy with the work he has seen from the rookie.
“I think one of the bigger things I’ve seen, and one of the bigger things you hope for, is growth over the course of the break, meaning it’s been clear he’s put time in on the mental end of things on the scheme, on mastering the scheme," McDermott said when asked about Bishop. "He still has a lot of work to do, but he’s improving in that area and he’s improving with his understanding of how necessary it is at that position to communicate and to get everybody lined up on the same page.”
Damar Hamlin might have a leg up because of his experience
Hamlin might not possess the same upside as Bishop, but his familiarity with the scheme, the terminology, and his NFL experience might give him the inside track to lock up a starting role if Edwards falls too far behind.
“It’s to be expected, but an increased focus from a year ago, an increased urgency, and really just getting back to what he was again," McDermott said about what he's seen from Halmin this training camp. "It’s to be expected, respectfully to what he went through. It’s fun watching him have fun out there. He’s been able to do that and you can tell that he means business.”
Hamlin and Bishop have huge opportunities in front of them. It will be up to them to take advantage of the added reps now that the pads are on.
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