The Buffalo Bills have spent the early portion of the 2026 offseason reshaping their roster, and the moves are coming quickly.
Just hours after parting ways with longtime nickel cornerback Taron Johnson, the team reportedly made another significant defensive change on Friday, releasing veteran safety Taylor Rapp.
The decision underscores how aggressively Buffalo is maneuvering around the salary cap and signals that the secondary could look dramatically different by the time the new NFL league year begins.
Rapp's release frees up roughly $3 million in cap space for Buffalo, a modest but meaningful figure for a team navigating a tight financial situation heading into free agency. The move follows the earlier release of Johnson, which created additional cap relief while simultaneously opening another hole in the defensive backfield.
Together, the back-to-back departures leave Buffalo suddenly thin in the secondary and hint that more changes could be coming as the front office looks to reallocate resources.
Rapp spent three seasons with the Bills after originally entering the league as a second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft out of the University of Washington.
Before arriving in Buffalo, he played four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, where he was part of the roster that won Super Bowl LVI.
Across his seven NFL seasons, Rapp built a reputation as a physical, versatile defensive back capable of playing both deep safety and in-the-box roles.
Through the 2025 season, he accumulated 488 total tackles, 12 interceptions, 31 passes defended, two sacks, and two forced fumbles.
His most productive stretch came with the Rams, but he still carved out an important role in Buffalo's defensive rotation.
In his time with the Bills, Rapp appeared in 36 games and started 24, providing steady play in a safety room that underwent several transitions. However, his 2025 campaign was cut short by a knee injury after just six games, limiting him to 26 tackles before landing on injured reserve.
Injuries and declining efficiency late in the season contributed to speculation that he could become a cap casualty as the team evaluated its roster heading into 2026.
With Johnson already gone and Rapp now released, Buffalo's secondary depth chart suddenly looks uncertain. The team may need to rebuild large portions of its defensive backfield, especially if other veterans depart in free agency.
Losing two experienced defensive backs on the same day removes not only snaps but also leadership from a defense that has been a cornerstone of Buffalo's playoff runs in recent seasons.
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