The Bills continue to reorganize their safety room. After signing C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Buffalo is also bringing in veteran safety Geno Stone. Having just played out his two-year Bengals contract, Stone is joining the Bills on a new one-year deal (via NFL insider’s Jordan Schultz).
The Bills appear to be pressing the reset button at safety this offseason. They’ve already seen Darnell Savage — who joined the team in Week 17 last year — depart to sign with the Steelers, and veterans Jordan Poyer, Taylor Rapp, and Damar Hamlin all saw their contracts expire at the end of the season, as well. While still sporting a top 10 passing defense in the league last year, the best play in the defensive outfield came from Poyer — who turns 35 next month — and the team’s youngest, newest additions.
The additions of Gardner-Johnosn and Stone bring back the veteran presence that Buffalo is allowing to walk in free agency. The duo also provides a bit of a new look and a chance at more impactful contributions on the field. Stone came to the NFL as a seventh-round pick out of Iowa and spent his first two years buried on the depth chart behind DeShon Elliott and Chuck Clark. In his third year in Baltimore, Stone got bumped up into a starting role when veteran Marcus Williams hit injured reserve. Stone started seven games next to Clark as a rookie Kyle Hamilton began to master his Swiss Army role.
In the final year of his rookie contract, Stone found his way back into a starting role as Clark departed in free agency. The first-year full-time starter had a breakout season. If Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland hadn’t been so busy setting pick six records, Stone might’ve been the name to remember that season as he finished the with seven interceptions, second only to Bland.
Cashing in on his breakout season, Stone signed with the Bengals on a two-year, $14MM deal. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Stone finished his time in Baltimore ranked the 24th-best safety out of 95 graded at the position. In 34 starts with the Bengals, despite nabbing six interceptions (including two pick sixes) and logging 185 total tackles, PFF ranked him 83rd out of 98 in 2024 and 76 out of 91 this past season.
The Bills return 2024 second-round pick Cole Bishop and Jordan Hancock, a fifth-round rookie last year, at the safety position. Bishop will be returning to a full-time starting role in his third season of play, and it looks like Stone could stand a decent chance at sliding into the other starting spot. Gardner-Johnson also has full-time starting experience and could push Stone for the job, but Hancock has more familiarity with the system and may be looking to take the next step in Year 2 and compete for a bigger role, as well.
Ely Allen contributed to this post.
