Buffalo Bills safety Taylor Rapp 'checked out fine' following scary collision vs Jets
The Buffalo Bills had to watch another one of their teammates taken away in an ambulance on Sunday. Safety Taylor Rapp and cornerback Taron Johnson both went down following a tackle on Jets running back Breece Hall with Rapp requiring a backboard and a trip to the hospital for testing.
After the Bills ruled him out with a neck injury, Rapp was able to return home on Sunday night and, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, his tests for damage came up negative. Head coach Sean McDermott has yet to provide his own update on the two injured defensive backs on Monday.
Buffalo also ruled Johnson out with concussion concerns following the hit on Hall. Both he and Rapp were conscious as they left the field on Sunday. If the cornerback is in concussion protocol, it’s unlikely he’ll play in Week 12.
Prior to exiting the game, Rapp and Johnson both had three tackles apiece. Coming into the Week 11 matchup, Johnson was third on the Buffalo defense in tackles this season with 54 while Rapp had 25.
The Bills, now 6-5, take on the Philadelphia Eagles this week. The Eagles have the Monday Night Football matchup against the Chiefs, which gives them a slightly shorter build-up to the game against Buffalo.
Bills lose two defensive backs in win vs Jets
Rapp is a fifth-year player this year after spending his first four seasons with the L.A. Rams. He signed a one-year deal for $1.7 million with the Bills this offseason.
Rapp played an integral part in the Super Bowl victory for the Rams in 2021, recording seven tackles. The Washington product finished second on the team with 94 tackles in the regular season, to go along with a career-high four interceptions and six passes defended. He started in all 17 regular season games for the first time since entering the league in 2019.
The Rams selected him with a second-round pick out of Washington in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Taron Johnson, an undrafted free agent from Weber State, is in his sixth season in the league. He’s spent all six seasons with the Bills and has one more season left on his three-year, $24 million deal.
The Bills opted to fire offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey following the team’s 24-22 loss to the Broncos on Monday Night Football. Now filling in as his interim replacement is former LSU passing game coordinator and current Bills QB coach Joe Brady. McDermott was pleased with how the offense faired despite the abrupt change after 10 weeks.
“Joe picked up where we needed him to right away,” McDermott said. “When we made the switch, there was no hesitation. He went right to the offensive staff and the offensive staff really came together and collaborated in a team way, in an effective way.”