Cole Bishop

Cole Bishop
No. 24 – Buffalo Bills
PositionSafety
Roster statusActive
Personal information
Born (2002-10-24) October 24, 2002
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight207 lb (94 kg)
Career information
High schoolStarr's Mill (Fayetteville, Georgia)
CollegeUtah (2021–2023)
NFL draft2024: 2nd round, 60th overall pick
Career history
Awards and highlights
Career NFL statistics as of 2025
Total tackles125
Sacks2
Pass deflections9
Interceptions3
Forced fumbles1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Cole Bishop (born October 24, 2002) is an American professional football safety for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Utah Utes.

Early life

Bishop attended Starr's Mill High School in Fayetteville, Georgia. He committed to the University of Utah to play college football.[1][2]

College career

As a true freshman at Utah in 2021, Bishop played in 10 games and started the final six. He finished the year with 54 tackles and three sacks.[3][4] As a sophomore in 2022, he started 13 of 14 games and led the team with 83 tackles and had one interception and 1.5 sacks.[5] He returned to Utah for his junior year in 2023.[6]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span Wingspan 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split Vertical jump Broad jump
6 ft 2 in
(1.88 m)		 209 lb
(95 kg)		 29+3⁄4 in
(0.76 m)		 9+1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		 6 ft 1 in
(1.85 m)		 4.45 s 1.52 s 2.59 s 39.0 in
(0.99 m)		 10 ft 4 in
(3.15 m)
All values from NFL Combine[7][8]

Bishop was selected by the Buffalo Bills with the 60th overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft.[9] He spent the majority of his rookie season as a backup to Damar Hamlin, but started on occasion. Bishop later won the starting safety spot in his sophomore season, playing alongside Taylor Rapp until the latter's season-ending injury. He caught his first career interception against the New Orleans Saints, foiling the Saints' attempt at executing their own version of the Philly Special.[10] Bishop played a major role in the Bills' win over the Kansas City Chiefs in week 9, leading the team in tackles and forcing a turnover on downs.[11]

Bishop's play improved noticeably throughout his second season, with Sports Illustrated attributing it to mentorship from veteran teammate Jordan Poyer.[12] Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic, who analyzed Bishop's play, wrote that Bishop became more confident and aware later in the season, taking advantage of his athleticism to make plays after struggling with positioning himself earlier on.[13] Bishop totaled 85 tackles (53 solo), 3 interceptions, 7 passes defensed, and 2 sacks on his sophomore season.[14] In the playoffs, he made a crucial interception of Trevor Lawrence during the Bills' wild card game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, sealing Buffalo's first road playoff win since 1992.[15]

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Legend
Bold Career high
Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Comb Solo Ast TFL Sack PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR
2024 BUF 16 4 40 25 15 1 0.0 2 0 0 0 0.0 0 1 0
2025 BUF 17 17 85 53 32 4 2.0 7 3 16 5.3 12 0 0 0
Career 33 21 125 78 47 5 2.0 9 3 16 5.3 12 0 1 0

Playoffs

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Comb Solo Ast TFL Sack PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR
2024 BUF 3 1 13 10 3 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2025 BUF 2 2 14 9 5 2 0.0 1 1 2 2.0 2 0 0 0
Career 5 3 27 19 8 2 0.0 1 1 2 2.0 2 0 0 0

References

  1. ^ McDonald, Ryan (December 19, 2023). "Utah football gets commitment from Georgia safety, former Duke commit Cole Bishop". Deseret News. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  2. ^ Call, Jeff (December 20, 2023). "'It's the best decision I ever made': Freshman safety Cole Bishop explains why he chose to play for Utah". Deseret News. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  3. ^ Newman, Josh (April 8, 2022). "Why Utah football coaches say Cole Bishop is 'everything you want' in a safety". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  4. ^ Bagley, Cole (April 8, 2022). "Cole Bishop is proving himself a bonafide superstar with 'his best days ahead of him'". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  5. ^ Call, Jeff (December 19, 2023). "Why Kyle Whittingham calls safety Cole Bishop 'one of the best in the country'". Deseret News. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  6. ^ Call, Jeff (February 1, 2024). "Utah is stacked at the safety position with Cole Bishop, Sione Vaki, Nate Ritchie". Deseret News. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  7. ^ Reuter, Chad; Zierlein, Lance. "Cole Bishop Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  8. ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Cole Bishop College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  9. ^ Byham, Matt (April 26, 2024). "2024 NFL Draft: Buffalo Bills select S Cole Bishop with 60th overall pick". Buffalo Rumblings. SB Nation. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  10. ^ Towle, Kam. "Bills' Sean McDermott on Cole Bishop's 'game-changing' play vs. the Saints". Bills Wire. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
  11. ^ De Cristofaro, David Benjamin. "Even Bills safety Cole Bishop can admit his effort vs. the Chiefs 'felt big'". Bills Wire. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
  12. ^ Ventre, Ralph (November 6, 2025). "Former All-Pro has 'instrumental' impact on Buffalo Bills' young Cole Bishop". Buffalo Bills On SI. Retrieved March 19, 2026. Sean McDermott: 'Jordan has been instrumental in a lot of players, a lot of young players development. Cole being one of them. Jordan Hancock another.'
  13. ^ Buscaglia, Joe (December 24, 2025). "How Cole Bishop helped change the math on the Bills' playoff hopes". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  14. ^ "Cole Bishop - Buffalo Bills Safety". ESPN. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  15. ^ Talbot, Ryan (January 11, 2026). "Two veterans who everyone counted out just saved the Buffalo Bills' season in the most dramatic way possible". newyorkupstate. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
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