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Former Super Bowl Champion Signs With Bills to Fix Safety Depth Crisis

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Buffalo, NY – October 15, 2025 — The Buffalo Bills have made a decisive move to stabilize their secondary, signing a former Super Bowl–winning defensive back just 18 hours after his release from the Baltimore Ravens. The deal comes as the team enters its bye week facing a dangerously thin safety room.

Buffalo’s defensive depth has been stretched to the limit. Damar Hamlin remains on Injured Reserve with a pectoral tear, and Wande Owens was waived with injury in August. That leaves only

Taylor Rapp and Cole Bishop as active safeties, both battling their own durability concerns.

That’s why the Bills turned to C.J. Gardner-Johnson, a 27-year-old veteran with proven instincts, attitude, and championship experience. Gardner-Johnson, who recorded six interceptions during the Eagles’ Super Bowl run, brings the exact mix of leadership and aggression that Sean McDermott’s defense needs.

Rapp, now 30, has a history of knee problems, and Bishop — just 22 — cramped late in Week 6 against the Falcons. With hybrid corner

Dorian Strong still on IR and no natural safety on the practice squad, the Bills were one injury away from disaster.

“This move is about stability,” a team source told ESPN.

“You don’t wait until the problem becomes a crisis. We need leadership in the back end, and he provides that.”

The timing couldn’t be better. The Week 7 bye gives Gardner-Johnson time to learn McDermott’s defensive calls before a critical two-game stretch against the Panthers and Dolphins — both teams known for deep vertical attacks.

Across seven NFL seasons, Gardner-Johnson has totaled 18 interceptions and 51 passes defended, earning a reputation as one of the league’s most vocal and fiery competitors. His versatility to play both safety spots makes him an instant asset.

With a 4-2 record and playoff hopes on the line, Buffalo didn’t just sign a player — they secured a tone-setter. This is more than roster insurance. It’s a message to the AFC: the Bills are reloading for another run.

The NFL Officially Fines the Chiefs for Violating Concussion Protocol, Leading to a Situation Where a Wide Receiver’s Career Could Be in Jeopardy
BREAKING: The Kansas City Chiefs have just been HIT with massive fines by the NFL after deliberately ignoring mandatory concussion protocol on star wide receiver Rashee Rice, and the consequences could end his career before age 25. It all went down in Week 14 against the Houston Texans. Late in the third quarter, Texans safety Jalen Pitre delivered a brutal (but legal) hit that sent Rashee Rice crashing to the turf. His body went limp, arms showed the classic “fencing posture” response linked to head trauma, and he immediately grabbed his helmet in pain. Any normal team would have rushed him straight to the blue medical tent. The Chiefs? They did NOTHING. No sideline evaluation. No concussion protocol activated. No explanation. Now the league has spoken: Kansas City has been found GUILTY of violating player safety rules and has been slapped with heavy fines just days after Mike Florio (Pro Football Talk) first exposed the incident. Sources say the penalties could climb into the hundreds of thousands, with potential loss of draft picks still on the table. Worse yet – independent neurologists are now warning that if Rice suffered an undetected concussion and was allowed back on the field, the long-term brain damage could be irreversible. We’re talking CTE risk, memory loss, and a very real chance his NFL career is already over at just 24 years old. This isn’t the league’s first rodeo: The New York Giants were fined $200K + Brian Daboll $100K just for peeking into the tent and yelling at doctors The Chiefs’ violation is being called “far more egregious” Rashee Rice has gone silent on social media and is reportedly undergoing extensive follow-up testing. Insider reports claim there’s a growing chance he misses the rest of the 2025 season – or worse. With Kansas City clinging to an 11% playoff chance and now drowning in this player-safety scandal, the reigning champs have officially become the NFL’s biggest villain of 2025. Was protecting a win that night worth potentially destroying a young star’s future? Drop your take below – no holding back.