Bills 2025 Draft Pick's Immediate Future Looks Bleak After Injury Revealed

To begin the offseason, it appeared as if 2025 fifth-round pick Jordan Hancock had a reasonable chance to seize one of the Buffalo Bills’ starting roles at the safety position.

However, as the Bills have continued to make moves over the past few months and after some recent news, what once appeared to be Hancock’s great opportunity has all but dried up. During a conversation with The Athletic, Buffalo’s president of football operations/general manager Brandon Beane revealed Hancock underwent offseason surgery to repair a shoulder injury, which places him even further behind the team’s other options in the race for a starting role in 2026.

The pecking order

The Bills brought in two new names at the safety position this offseason while re-signing a familiar face to add depth.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson is the most likely to begin the season in a starting role beside incumbent starter Cole Bishop, a 2024 second-round pick, while fellow free-agent signing Geno Stone is likely next in line if Gardner-Johnson falters. Then, Damar Hamlin is waiting in the wings with plenty of starters’ experience, albeit in a far different system than the one the Bills plan to deploy under new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.

Leonhard is expected to roll out a havoc-creating, chaos-filled defensive scheme featuring a multiple-front along the line of scrimmage. That will require versatility from the team’s safety group, which was one of Hancock’s strengths coming out of the draft—his ability to play both in the back end and near the line of scrimmage as a nickel cornerback.

However, with his recent setback, other players will have hit the ground running under Leonhard’s tutelage, while Hancock will lag behind to begin his second professional season. That doesn’t bode well for his chances of making an impact early in his career.

Last season’s marks

Oregon defensive back Dillon Thieneman carries the ball as the Oregon Ducks practice on Jan. 5, 2025, at the Moshofsky Center in Eugene, Oregon, ahead of the Peach Bowl. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Hancock was on the field for just 19% of the Bills’ defensive snaps in his rookie year, finishing with 22 tackles. However, he was a key contributor on special teams, logging a 58% snap share.

Hancock may continue to produce on special teams in 2026, but the possibility of him competing for a meaningful role defensively has greatly diminished with the 2026 draft drawing nearer.

The Bills have also been linked to a few safety prospects leading into the selection process, including Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman and TCU’s Bud Clark. If Buffalo brings in a prospect at the position, that could signify the death knell on Hancock’s opportunity to latch on with the team that drafted him.

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