Tag: Taylor Rapp

PFF calls extending Taylor Rapp their ‘least favorite’ move by Bills

PFF calls extending Taylor Rapp their ‘least favorite’ move by Bills:

Taylor Rapp? Pro Football Focus is not a fan.

PFF is not a fan.

The football analytics outlet named their least favorite decision by every NFL team during the free agency. For the Buffalo Bills, extending safety Taylor Rapp was not the move they would have done.

Here’s why PFF thinks so:

Buffalo is moving on from the dynamic duo of Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, who had an incredible run as the starting safety tandem for years. Rapp is a good box defender, and the Bills structured this deal in a way that they can approach it year to year while also buying out two additional years from Rapp.

This deal could effectively be a one-year, $4.2 million pact, which is not bad at all. With so many safeties available, it just felt like Buffalo could’ve gotten really stingy at the position while spending a bit more elsewhere, such as on the offensive line.

PFF does not completely hate the move… but the outlet is not the biggest fan. Rapp has some doubters.

What’s working in Rapp’s favorite is Jordan Poyer leaving. That appears to be his better position and not the one he mostly played last season. That opening is his to prove PFF wrong. He signed a three-year extension in Buffalo.

In his first season with the Bills, Rapp accounted for 50 total tackles, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit, half a sack, two pass breakups, an interception, and a fumble recovery. He appeared on 421 defensive snaps and another 191 on special teams.

Rapp was originally a second-round draft choice of the Los Angeles Rams in the 2019 NFL draft.

Bills Wire will continue to provide free agency updates throughout the 2024 offseason.

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Bills sign Taylor Rapp to three-year extension

#Bills sign Taylor Rapp to three-year extension:

Jordan Poyer’s gone and Micah Hyde is a pending free agent.

But Taylor Rapp is going nowhere.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Rapp has signed a three-year extension with the Buffalo Bills.

Rapp, 26, signed with the Bills last year on a one-year contract. He served as a backup to both Poyer and Hyde and played in certain packages which put all three on the field at once.

In his first season with the Bills, Rapp accounted for 50 total tackles, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit, half a sack, two pass breakups, an interception, and a fumble recovery. He appeared on 421 defensive snaps and another 191 on special teams.

What’s certainly going to be different now is his role on the defense. With Poyer out, Rapp is likely sliding into his starting spot. Damar Hamlin and Kendall Williamson are the only other safeties under contract with the Bills currently.

Rapp was originally a second-round draft choice of the Los Angeles Rams in the 2019 NFL draft.

Bills Wire will continue to provide free agency updates throughout the 2024 offseason.

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Two former Rams land extensions with Bills amid Buffalo’s roster teardown

The Bills tore down their roster on Wednesday, but two players they signed to extensions are former Rams

The Buffalo Bills came into the week about $40 million over the salary cap, needing to get under the limit by the start of the new league year on March 13. So on Wednesday, they began moving around pieces to help them get under the cap.

They went through a full roster teardown, releasing five players, including All-Pro defensive backs Tre’Davious White and Jordan Poyer. It was a rapid-fire day of moves for Buffalo, with seemingly few players being safe from getting axed.

Two players who managed to secure extensions from Buffalo amid all the releases, and they just happen to be former Rams. Guard David Edwards landed a two-year deal with the Bills, while safety Taylor Rapp earned a three-year deal worth up to $14.5 million.

They were both pending free agents so it’s not as if the Bills could’ve cut them, but it seems they’ve made enough of a positive impact in Buffalo since leaving the Rams that they earned multi-year extensions to stay with the Bills.

Last season, Rapp played 16 games and made four starts, picking off one pass and recording 50 tackles. Edwards was a backup last year, making zero starts, but he’s expected to be a starter in 2024.

One free agent each NFL team should re-sign in 2024 (including the Bills)

One free agent each NFL team should re-sign in 2024 (including the #Bills):

We’re just one week away from the start of NFL free agency, which begins at 4 p.m. ET on March 13. But the legal tampering window opens two days before that on March 11 at 12 p.m. ET, where teams will be able to negotiate with free agents before the official start of the new league year.

The 2024 salary cap has been set at an historic $255.4 million, and there are a number of teams who have some work to do when it comes to building their rosters. That includes potentially bringing back some impact players currently set to hit the open market.

After taking a look at the pending free agent fits around for each team, our NFL Wire editors identified one in-house free agent (at the time of publication) that each team should prioritize re-signing this offseason. 

Projecting market value for Bills pending free agents

Projecting market value for #Bills pending free agents:

The Buffalo Bills have several important players who are on the cusp of leaving via free agency. General manager Brandon Beane has some difficult decisions to make, as he needs to balance a challenging salary cap situation. At this time, Spotrac highlights the Bills are still $41 million over the cap.

The Bills still have some time to ink these players to extensions. However, several of these players are on the verge of a big payday.

The legal tampering period begins on March 11. Once this date hits, it’s a good chance that these players will be finding new homes for the 2024 season.

Here is a look at the projected market value for the Bills top pending free agents based off Spotrac’s projections:

5 pending free agents the Bills should consider re-signing in 2024

5 pending free agents the #Bills should consider re-signing in 2024:

The Buffalo Bills have plenty of free agents slated to hit the open market.

The Bills have time to still sign players to extensions, but it’s never so cut-and-dry. According to Over The Cap, Buffalo is estimated to be more than $40 million over the 2024 NFL salary cap.

Moves must be made to get there and general manager Brandon Beane will earn his salary with the decisions ahead.

But Beane’s work is not the type of operation that’s never been completed before. Teams and players can restructure contracts, move dollars and cents around, and create cap space.

Once that’s done, Beane will then consider who to bring in and who to re-sign. Here are five pending free agents the Bills should take a look into re-signing this offseason:

Former Saints draft pick, Alabama football star takes high-profile college coaching job

Former Saints draft pick and Alabama football star Vinnie Sunseri has taken a high-profile college coaching job at Washington:

Here’s some good news for a former New Orleans Saints draft pick: Vinnie Sunseri has taken a high-profile college coaching job as the Washington Huskies safeties coach, where he’ll be tasked with developing the next generation of defensive backs at a West Coast powerhouse with national championship ambitions.

Things have come full circle. Sunseri was a standout at Alabama during his own college playing career, and Alabama’s decision to hire Washington’s former head coach Kalen DeBoer led to a lot of turnover for the Huskies coaching staff.

Sunseri, 32, was picked by the Saints in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft. But he struggled to get on the field after dealing with a series of injuries. He finished his NFL playing career with the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers.

After hanging up his cleats, Sunseri began a coaching career at Alabama as a graduate assistant; he returned to the Patriots in 2020 to get more experience, where he first worked with the defense before moving to the offensive side of the ball for three years coaching running backs. Now he’s going back to his roots with much more responsibility under new Washington head coach Jedd Fisch.

The job comes with high expectations. Washington is fresh off a national title bid, and the school has sent many defensive backs to the NFL draft in recent years; Trent McDuffie and Kyler Gordon were both top-50 picks in 2022, while Elijah Molden was selected at No. 100 overall (followed by Keith Taylor in the fifth round) in 2021. Byron Murphy and Taylor Rapp were each second-round picks in 2019 with Jordan Miller also drafted in the fifth round. Sunseri will be charged with recruiting and developing players to follow in their footsteps. Good luck to him.

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Full list of Bills players who will be free agents this offseason

Full list of #Bills players who will be free agents this offseason:

As another season of NFL football has come to an end with the Chiefs topping the 49ers in Super Bowl 58, so does another series of contracts that have been signed.

Whether it be grizzled veterans or players seeing the end of their rookie contracts, there are plenty of faces who will no long be under contract with the Bills in March when free agency opens.

The Bills have plenty of time until then to sign players to extensions, but it’s never so cut-and-dry. According to Over The Cap, the team is estimated to be $49 million over the 2024 NFL salary cap.

Moves must be made and general manager Brandon Beane will earn his own salary with the decisions ahead.

But what you’re here for: The full list of Bills free agents following the 2023 season is below:

Full list of Bills players who will be free agents this offseason

Who will stay and who will go?

As another season of Buffalo Bills football has come to an end, so have another series of contracts that have been signed.

Whether it be grizzled veterans or players seeing the end of their rookie contracts, there are plenty of faces who will not long be under contract in Buffalo in March when free agency opens.

The Bills have plenty of time until then to sign players to extensions, but it’s never so cut-and-dry. According to Over The Cap, Buffalo is estimated to be $49 million over the 2024 NFL salary cap.

Moves must be made and general manager Brandon Beane will earn his own salary with the decisions ahead.

But what you’re here for: The full list of Bills free agents following the 2023 season is below:

PFF: 5 highest-graded Bills players on defense in Week 18

Good games for these #Bills defenders:

The Buffalo Bills won a tight 21-14 final in their Week 18 matchup against the Miami Dolphins.

The Bills (11-6) had a few players that stood out above the rest in this one. On defense, the Bills were led by cornerback Christian Benford and his takeaway.

In terms of the players who helped Douglas pull out the win, Buffalo will hope such efforts remain throughout the rest of the 2023 playoffs as they aim for the Super Bowl.

According to Pro Football Focus, they’ll need these players to continue to play at a high level.

Here are the five highest-graded Bills players on defense against the Dolphins (11-6) in Week 18: