Buffalo Bills 2025 Expectations: Cole Bishop

Exploring the critical factors in play for Cole Bishop in the 2025 season.

Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer will go down as an all-time great positional tandem in Buffalo Bills history. At the core of the Bills’ rise to a perennial Super Bowl contender, Poyer and Hyde were the heartbeat of Buffalo’s defense, and the duo performed at a consistently high level and made a significant impact. 2024 marked the first year without either on the roster, and their presence was missed on a Bills’ defense that struggled to defend the pass and get off the field on third downs.

Replacing them was never going to be easy, especially since their impact extended not only to their on-field performance but also to the leadership elements they provided. Part of Buffalo’s succession plan was drafting Cole Bishop in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

While McDermott has an elite resume of developing safeties, none came in the form of such a high draft selection. The success stories of McDermott helping unlock the potential of safeties include: