Cole Bishop enters training camp as the Buffalo Bills’ unquestioned safety, after a 2025 breakout

For the Buffalo Bills, the most important defensive question heading into this training camp is no longer whether safety Cole Bishop can start. A year after a breakout that pushed him to the top of the roster, the second-year skepticism around his development has narrowed, and the Bills are treating Bishop as the unquestioned starter as they begin a new phase under defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.

Buffalo drafted Bishop with the 60th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Utah, but his path to a stable role has been shaped by injuries. During his rookie training camp, Bishop suffered a shoulder injury that limited him for much of his first season. Last year brought another interruption, this time a quad injury that sidelined him for part of the 2025 offseason workout program and raised questions about whether he could sustain momentum.

Those questions did not disappear immediately once the season started. According to reporting tied to Bishop’s early timeline, confidence was not high among head coach Sean McDermott and the coaching staff after Bishop struggled in a preseason loss to the Chicago Bears, when McDermott indicated the rookie had not yet won a starting safety role. The regular season changed the conversation quickly.

Once the Bills’ games began, Bishop asserted himself as their defensive anchor at the safety spot. He started all 17 regular-season games and both playoff games, compiling 99 tackles along the way, with four interceptions and eight pass breakups. He also contributed as a pressure player, recording two sacks, a reminder that his impact was not limited to coverage and run support.

The statistical output helped justify the role change, and it also clarified what Bishop is capable of within Leonhard’s system. Pro Football Focus reported that Bishop allowed a 29.6 passer rating, adding another layer to the argument that his play was not only productive, but efficient in terms of limiting opponent passing success.

In a defense that often asks safeties to adjust pre-snap and to carry complicated responsibilities after the snap, “encore” is the word that fits Bishop’s offseason moment. The Bills are now asking him to build on last year’s momentum with fewer hesitations and steadier availability, not just to be effective for stretches, but to be consistently effective across the full season.

Leonhard’s scheme, and the expectations that come with it, set up Bishop’s next test. He will be judged on whether he can keep the same level of ball production and coverage stability that defined the breakout season, while also fitting seamlessly into a coordinator’s plan rather than simply replicating what worked before. For Buffalo, the answer will be visible quickly in camp structure and preseason reps, and over the long haul in how often the safety spot dictates outcomes for the defense.