What to Expect from Bills Safety Room After CJ Gardner-Johnson's Suspension

The Buffalo Bills will already be down at least one starter for their next matchup, when they play the Baltimore Ravens in two weeks.

With safety CJ Gardner-Johnson suspended for one game, the rotation in the secondary will look different for at least one week.

We already saw how Jim Leonhard handled the loss of a starting safety mid-game against the Raiders, but the defensive coordinator now has two weeks to gameplan for it.

Here's what options Leonhard has at his disposal to deploy against an offensive in Baltimore with plenty of talnet.

Safe Floor - Damar Hamlin

Damar Hamlin with Joe Brady — Sep 27, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady greets safety Damar Hamlin (3) before a game against the Los Angeles Chargers | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When Gardner-Johnson left the game, the main beneficiary in terms of snaps was Damar Hamlin. While he doesn't provide an intruging ceiling, he does raise the flloor of the DB room and help calm the storm on the back end.

Leonhard specifically complimented his calming precense, effective communication and positional flexibility in his press conference on Monday, citing the 45 defensive snaps he played as evidence.

"He does not get the credit for the amount of things he's asked to do within a gameplan," Leonhard said.

Per PFF, Hamlin wasn't even targeted while in coverage, despite Kirk Cousins attempting 41 passes. The DB played 31 snaps at free safety, 10 in the box, three in the slot and one on the line of scrimmage, showcasing his versatility.

Intriguing Ceiling - Jalon Kilgore

Jalon Kilgore pass break up — Oct 18, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Buffalo Bills safety Jalon Kilgore (29) breaks up a pass intended for Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker (1) in the fourth quarter | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Fifth round rookie Jalon Kilgore finally got meaningful defensive snaps, and it was a mixed bag for the DB out of South Carolina.

Kilgore played 11 defensive snaps, one of which was a key pass break up on third down to force a punt. Later in the game, he got burned by Tre Tucker in an obvious prevent situation, where he allowed the receiver to get behind him for a touchdown to keep the Raiders alive.

The rookie is no where close to the reliable player Hamlin is, but his off the charts athleticism should intriuge the Bills enough to get him on the field more.

The safety had a 9.60 relative athletic score going into the draft, highlighted by his 4.40 40-yard dash and "elite" speed and explosion grades. For comparison, Hamlin's relative athletic score was a 7.00, with a "good" speed grade and "okay" explosion grade.

Expectation for Week 8

Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin tackles Pittsburgh Steelers running back Max Hurleman during first half action of the Bills preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Highmark Stadium on Aug. 27, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Calls have only grown for the Bills to move on from Gardner-Johnson, so Leonhard and the Bills might need to prepare for a longer-term solution that lasts them the rest of the season.

For now, with the starting safety slated to miss just one game, expect to see a majority of snaps go to the veteran in Hamlin. If Jordan Hancock is able to return from IR to back up Dee Alford in the slot, Hamlin won't need to sub into the nickel at all, meaning he'd likely see the lion's share of snaps.

However, if the team decided to move on from Gardner-Johnson, it would be beneficial to give the rookie with the higher ceiling more playing time, and implement more of a rotation between Kilgore and Hamlin before the rookie is (ideally) able to take over full-time.

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