Orchard Park, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) – The Buffalo Bills knew this offseason they couldn’t keep safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde around due to financial reasons.
With that in mind, they went out and got Mike Edwards in free agency, who played for the Kansas City Chiefs last season. Then the Bills added Cole Bishop in the second round this year's NFL Draft out of the University of Utah.
In the early goings of training camp, Bishop alternated with both Edwards and Damar Hamlin opposite Taylor Rapp, who appears to have one starting spot sewn up heading into the regular season.
However, injuries have set in, and both Bishop and Edwards have been described by head coach Sean McDermott as being week-to-week.
General manager Brandon Beane had to do something to address his safety depth, so he went back to the free agent market and signed Kareem Jackson and Terrell Burgess.
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The Los Angeles Rams drafted Burgess in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft, and won a Super Bowl with them in 2021. He’s also played with the New York Giants and Washington Commanders over his four-year career.
Buffalo needed depth at safety, and getting on the team on July 31 didn’t give Burgess much time to learn the defense, let alone his new teammates.
"At first, it was a crash course, and I’m still learning as much as I can. But this is football, and sometimes you’ve just got to roll with the punches," said Burgess following Thursday's final practice of training camp at St. John Fisher University. "I’m just blessed to have another opportunity, and I just love playing football."
Burgess says he’s been getting a lot of help from the coaches and the defensive backs group to learn things as quickly as he can.
We all know different coaches have different ways they want their defense to play.
"You have to do what each team wants you to do, and here there’s different details that different teams want you to do. However, when it comes down to it and you’re lined up against somebody else, you’ve got to play football," Burgess said.
"You’ve been playing football your whole life, and we’re playing a children’s game as adults. I think you’ve just got to go out there and work hard."
Burgess has been around the NFL long enough to know he can help himself to make the team if he’s good on special teams.
"I’m going to do what I can to help the team win, so if they ask me to play special teams, I’ll play," he said.
Now we all know how different kickoffs are going to be, and Burgess feels it will be an experience.
"I think it’ll be pretty cool," he said. "But the way I look at it, it's going to be a boom or bust play. It’s either going to be a big return every time, or it’s going to be behind the 25 every time. It’s going to be interesting."
Burgess said 100% that it might take teams until mid-season to figure it out and get used to it.
Burgess knows the situation the Bills are in, which is why he was signed. He also knows by coming here, there is opportunity for him, and it’s up to him to grab it.
"In life comes opportunity, and here they’ve let us understand that. There is opportunity, and just come in here and play to the best of your abilities and you’ll get a shot."
The Bills finally get on the field for their first preseason game on Saturday against the Chicago Bears. Kickoff on WGR Sports Radio 550 will be at 1 p.m. ET with Chris Brown, Eric Wood and Sal Capaccio on the call.
