The Buffalo Bills registered some relatively minor savings when they released safety Taylor Rapp to clear just $3.07 million in salary cap space.
It might be a move they might come to regret.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton singled out Rapp as the NFL’s top “bargain bin” free agent less than 1 month out from the start of training camp, calling the former Super Bowl champion a perfect fit for both the Las Vegas Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles.
“Taylor Rapp has valuable experience at both safety positions and in the slot,” Moton wrote on July 1. “He played four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and three with the Buffalo Bills, recording 488 tackles (11 for loss), 31 pass breakups and 12 interceptions. After six mostly healthy, productive pro years, Rapp suffered a season-ending knee injury in October of last year. For the first time in his career, he finished a campaign without an interception or a pass breakup but only allowed a stingy 78.6 passer rating in coverage. Coming off a down year, Rapp is unlikely to sign a multiyear contract, but the battle-tested defensive back may just need a one-year, prove-it deal to show why he’s still a starting-caliber defender.”
Taylor Rapp Starred for Super Bowl Champions
Rapp, 6-foot and 208 pounds, was a 2-time All-Pac-12 pick for the University of Washington, including earning All-American honors in 2018 before the Los Angeles Rams selected him in the 2nd round (No. 61 overall) in the 2019 NFL draft.
After starting 10 games and racking up 100 tackles as a rookie, Rapp missed 7 games due to injuries in 2020 but bounced back to start all 17 games in 2021 with 94 tackles, 4 interceptions, and 6 pass deflections. He missed the 1st 2 playoff games in concussion protocol but returned to start for the Rams in a 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.
Bills Made Pair of Moves to Replace Rapp
Bills fans might not like who the Bills have brought in to replace Rapp, signing controversial safety and Super Bowl champion C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
Gardner-Johnson, 28, signed a 1-year, $3.5 million contract with the Buffalo Bills in March and is on his 7th team in 8 seasons and his 4th team in the last 15 months.
“One of the narratives is I’m a cancer in the locker room,” Gardner-Johnson told The Athletic’s Tim Graham. “That just came out when? After Houston? Where was that after the Super Bowl loss? Where was that after the Super Bowl win? When we do our homework and really think about it, where have I been a cancer?”
Through his 1st 7 NFL seasons, Gardner-Johnson has 20 career interceptions, including 12 in 2 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022 and 2024 — both years the Eagles made the Super Bowl, winning it all in the latter.
“Gardner-Johnson is the latest outside defensive free agent addition to the Bills under coordinator Jim Leonhard,” ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg wrote on March 14. “With a number of safeties from last year’s roster free agents and the cap-saving release of Taylor Rapp, the veteran will have an opportunity to solidify a starting safety job alongside Cole Bishop. Gardner-Johnson, 28, has been with multiple teams over the past few years but is just a year removed from one of his best statistical seasons in 2024. He can be a versatile part of Leonhard’s defense and, overall, it’s a smaller-scale deal for a veteran that has the potential for high rewards.”
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