The Buffalo Bills have had a player pop up on a promising list from Pro Football Focus.
PFF named a list of breakout players coming in the 2026 season. For the Bills, the pick was safety Cole Bishop.
After a slow start to his rookie year, Bishop ended up turning it on late in 2024 and in the postseason. That led to last season where he established himself as a starting player.
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PFF’s breakout on Bishop can be found below:
Bishop is an ascending safety who now has the privilege to be coached by a sage voice at the position.
Bishop took a step last season, bolstering his overall PFF grade from 52.0 to 66.5. Much of that was galvanized by better coverage work, where Bishop allowed only a 45.7 passer rating when targeted. Along similar lines, the Utah product ranked in at least the 67th percentile in coverage grade in both the box and slot.
Having suited up on 159-plus snaps at free safety, in the box and in the slot throughout his two-year career, Bishop is a versatile chess piece for new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard. The former second-round pick has looked the part at times in the past, and Leonhard — who’s developed players like Ja’Quan McMillian and Brandon Jones — can help make him more refined.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: PFF: Bills named on list of players that will breakout in 2026