Bills Predicted to Cut Ties With Starting Defensive Back After 5 Seasons

Bills analysts and fans are still reeling after cornerback Cam Lewis nearly cost Buffalo the win against the Dolphins in Week 15.
The Buffalo Bills made some big investments into their secondary this offseason, using their first-round draft pick on a new cornerback and adding some veterans both at safety and cornerback.

That could leave one versatile defensive back vulnerable when it comes time for final cuts, one analyst predicts. Ryan Talbot of Syracuse.com suggested the Bills could cut ties with Cam Lewis, the trusty veteran who started six games last season but has fallen down the depth chart with the addition of a new player last year.

Difficult Decisions for the Bills
Talbot predicted the Bills would keep five safeties for the coming season, with Cole Bishop likely earning a starting job after showing flashes of strong play as a rookie last season.

“Taylor Rapp is a lock and it seems clear that the team wants Cole Bishop to start alongside the veteran. Bishop will need to stay healthy for that to happen,” Talbot wrote.

That left Lewis, a versatile player who started six games last season and has played both cornerback and safety, on the wrong side of the roster bubble.

“Cam Lewis may have been the most difficult cut on the entire roster for me,” Talbot wrote. “He plays a big role on special teams and brings so much versatility to the secondary. How the depth behind Rapp and Bishop perform this summer could ultimately determine Lewis’ fate.”

Lewis came to the Bills as an undrafted rookie free agent out of the University of Buffalo in 2020. He appeared in 59 games over five seasons and had a career-best season in 2024, making his first career interception along with 68 total tackles.

Talbot predicted the Bills would keep just six cornerbacks for this season, with Christian Benford and rookie Maxwell Hairston grabbing the starting jobs with Taron Johnson returning as one of the best nickel corners in the NFL. Tre’Davious White and Dane Jackson, who both returned to the Bills after spending the 2024 season with other teams, would provide depth along with Dorian Strong.

Bills Looking for Big Things From Cole Bishop
The Bills will likely look to Bishop to take on a bigger role in the coming season, and the second-year player said he used his time this offseason to get ready.

“I went home, spent some time with my family for a little bit,” Bishop told WGRZ in Buffalo. “I came back here pretty early, so I was here for however long before we started up, just in the weight room with Will (Greenberg) and everything with the new strength staff. It’s been good, just trying to get bigger, faster, stronger, staying in my playbook.”

The former third-round pick said he’s excited to have a full year with the Bills, saying he feels more comfortable with the team after having an abbreviated offseason coming out of college.

“Your rookie year, there’s so much going on whenever you first get here,” Bishop said. “You’re trying to learn the plays. You’re trying to figure out how everything runs and then just being able to do everything again for the second time feels so much better.”