Bills' Super Bowl champion safety earns praise from ESPN analyst

Taylor Rapp is an important piece to the puzzle in the Buffalo Bills defense.

Bills defensive back Taylor Rapp pulls in a throw as he warms up. | Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Buffalo Bills have a lot of pieces on defense that help the unit emerge into one of the best in the league.

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Some are more visible, like defensive end Gregory Rousseau or linebacker Terrel Bernard, but others do more of their work behind the scenes.

One player that fits that category is defensive back Taylor Rapp, who was named by ESPN analyst Aaron Schatz as the most underrated safety in the league.

Buffalo Bills safety Taylor Rapp celebrates after making an interception during a game against the Indianapolis Colts. | Grace Smith-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

"Although many have described the Bills' safeties as underwhelming, they were an important part of a defense that finished 11th in DVOA last season. They ranked seventh in defensive DVOA on deep passes (16 or more air yards), and Rapp was most frequently in the role of deep safety," Schatz wrote.

"He also had a strong season as a tackler, with only four missed tackles compared to 48 solo tackles -- one of the lowest broken tackle rates in the league. And despite mostly playing back from the line of scrimmage, he ranked among the top 20 safeties with 48 run plays (tackles and assists)."

Rapp, who was a major contributor on the Super Bowl LVI champion Los Angeles Rams, ranked fourth on the team in tackles behind Dorian Williams, the aforementioned Bernard and Damar Hamlin.

Should Rapp continue to play like he has, he will become even more important for the Bills and the team could get over the hump to make it to the Super Bowl.

Buffalo Bills safety Taylor Rapp celebrates after making an interception during a game against the Indianapolis Colts | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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