Tag: Taylor Rapp

Taylor Rapp on signing with Bills: ‘They’re just building something great here’

Taylor Rapp on signing with #Bills: ‘They’re just building something great here’

Taylor Rapp was always a curious signing by the Buffalo Bills.

During free agency, the player and team agreed to a one-year deal. It was a surprise, because at that point, Jordan Poyer had already re-signed in Buffalo to start alongside Micah Hyde once again.

So how’d this marriage come to be? It was a two-way street.

Rapp, 25, was a second-round pick of the Los Angeles Rams in 2019. He has made 57 appearances over his career, which has included 48 starts. Rapp has not missed a game over the past two seasons. Plus he has a Super Bowl on his resume.

Despite all those successes early on, Rapp said he had always been aware of what was being built in Buffalo… and he liked what he saw.

“During free agency you’re always trying to find a good fit, not only for yourself as a player but as a team culture fit, too. I knew coach (Sean) McDermott, Brandon Beane, they’re just building something great here and I always had respect for how this team plays,” Rapp said. “They’ve got the right guys in the locker room.”

As far as the Bills were concerned, McDermott pulled out one of his trigger words: Versatility.

“He does a lot for us. Extremely smart football player. I was walking up and he was one of the first ones down here and it’s every day. His work ethic and his habits puts him in position to do more than one thing for us,” McDermott said via video conference.

“A lot” does describe what Rapp has been up to on Buffalo’s defense throughout this summer.

On paper, Rapp is the clear No. 3 safety in the defensive backfield behind Poyer and Hyde. But Rapp has seen time in the slot as a bigger nickel cornerback and as a box defender.

The multi-dimensional depth ability that Rapp provides could make him a perfect match with the Bills, even if the team avoids injury better than last season.

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Who are locks to make the Bills’ 53-man roster on defense?

Who are locks to make the #Bills’ 53-man roster on defense?

The Buffalo Bills are gearing up for the start of 2023 training camp. Players are going to be fighting for both playing time and roster spots.

But if we’re being honest, some of those positions on the team are already sorted out.

Here is every player on the Bills roster that is already a roster lock to make the team on defense:

List of Bills players heading into final year of their contract in 2023

List of #Bills players heading into final year of their contract in 2023 (via @TejasVemparala):

The 2023 NFL season has a sense of continued hope and optimism attached to the Buffalo Bills, much like the last couple of years. Could they go all the way? What happens if they don’t?

The desire will continue in Buffalo, but some players could be playing their final year at Highmark Stadium once the season gets rolling.

This leads to a list of players that the team needs to consider signing extensions with based on how the season ends.

Here’s all Bills players heading into the final year of their contract in 2023 (figures via Over The Cap):

Bills training camp: 5 burning questions for Buffalo’s defense

#Bills training camp: 5 burning questions for Buffalo’s defense (via @jdiloro):

The Buffalo Bills are gearing up for training camp in approximately three weeks. Buffalo returns to St. John Fisher in preparation for the 2023 season.

The Bills made several changes to the roster, adding intrigue to who will make the Week 1 sideline.

The first installment of this mini-series explore questions facing Buffalo’s offense during training camp.

Here are five questions for Buffalo’s defense ahead of this summer’s camp:

Buffalo Rams? Leonard Floyd is latest Super Bowl champ to go from LA to Bills

The Bills have now added their 5th player from the Rams’ Super Bowl team, with Leonard Floyd being the latest

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The Buffalo Bills are signing veteran edge rusher Leonard Floyd to a one-year deal in hopes of bolstering their pass-rushing unit. It continues the Bills’ trend of signing former Rams players, with Floyd being the fifth to land in Buffalo in the last two years.

Besides Floyd, the Bills also added David Edwards and Taylor Rapp in free agency this offseason. Aaron Kromer, the Rams’ former offensive line coach, is now the Bills’ offensive line coach, so it’s not a surprise to see him lure Edwards to Buffalo. Linebacker Travin Howard, who helped send the Rams to Super Bowl LVI with a game-sealing interception against the 49ers, also signed with the Bills this offseason.

Going back to last year, the Bills signed All-Pro pass rusher Von Miller to a six-year, $120 million contract ahead of the 2022 season. Miller was traded to the Rams during the 2021 campaign and helped Los Angeles secure its first Super Bowl victory since the 1999 season.

In the grand scheme of things, the Bills could simply just be looking to add players who they believe fit their schemes on both sides of the ball. But in recent years, the Bills have seemingly taken a liking to rostering players who previously suited up for the Rams after the recent addition of Floyd.

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31 Bills players slated to become free agents in 2024

Ahead of the NFL draft, knowing who is entering the final year of their contract is important. Here’s who on the #Bills will be a free agent in 2024:

The 2023 NFL draft is right around the corner. The Buffalo Bills will add new players in positions of need throughout the event.

But the Bills will be looking well beyond just next season. All needs aren’t considered immediate and we’ve seen this before from the Bills.

At last year’s draft, Buffalo selected Georgia running back James Cook with a second-round pick. As talented as Cook is in his own right, Devin Singletary played a part.

The Bills knew Singletary was entering the final year of his contract and understood it might be difficult to re-sign him… and now he’s a member of the Houston Texans.

In terms of the upcoming draft, there are other players currently on the Bills that could fall into the same realm.

Here’s the full list of the team’s 31 upcoming free agents after next season:

Taylor Rapp changes from old No. 24 with the Bills

New uniform number alert:

We have another new number alert.

Safety Taylor Rapp, who signed a one-year deal in free agency, will wear the No. 20 as a member of the Buffalo Bills in 2023. This is reflected on the team’s roster page on their website.

Last year that number was taken previously by someone who is now Rapp’s teammate, so we have some dots to connect.

Running back Nyheim Hines took the 20 uniform with the Bills upon being traded to Buffalo in 2022. Ahead of next year, he’s decided to change his number.

Hines wanted to be the first player in Bills history to wear the number zero, which was approved to use during a rule change this offseason.

From there, Rapp took No. 20, but it’s a new one for him.

While a member of the Los Angeles Rams, Rapp wore No. 24. He lands on 20 because 24 is taken by cornerback Kaiir Elam.

Rapp’s number history is a bit all over the place, though. At the University of Washington, he wore both the No. 21 and 7.

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