The Bills’ decision to move on from Geno Stone says plenty about where Buffalo’s secondary stands right now.
Stone was cut loose on Sunday, according to Jordan Schultz, and for Bengals fans, the reaction was probably more relief than surprise. Cincinnati had already seen enough of the safety’s struggles to know what it had - and what it didn’t. The move also served as a reminder that Buffalo, desperate for help in the back end, reached for a player Cincinnati had already watched unravel.
Stone’s time with the Bengals was rough enough that the numbers alone tell a pretty bleak story. Gridiron Grading, citing CLNSCincy.com beat reporter Mike Petraglia, noted that among 66 NFL safeties with at least 525 snaps, Stone had the second-most missed tackles at 22. He was also one of only two safeties on that list who had not forced an incompletion this season.
That kind of production made his short stay in Buffalo look doomed from the start. Cincinnati’s safety situation was poor enough that the Bengals still decided they needed a change, and they addressed it by signing ex-Chiefs safety Bryan Cook in free agency. Cook, a two-time Super Bowl champ, gives the Bengals a player they believe can actually handle a starting role.
Stone’s issues were not hard to spot on film, either. The source material points to his tackling, his coverage, and what it describes as a lack of engagement on the field. It also referenced a preseason play against Steelers rookie Germie Bernard that ended with Stone taking a poor pursuit angle and arriving too late with a glancing shoulder instead of a real stop.
The larger picture in Buffalo is just as stark. The Bills still do not have a reliable nickelback, and their safety room is nowhere near the level of the old Micah Hyde-Jordan Poyer pairing.
Signing Stone was a sign of how thin things had become, and his quick exit only underlined the point. Josh Allen will again be asked to carry the load in 2026.
In Other News...
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Hinton is the most notable addition from a depth standpoint after the Bengals claimed the second-year offensive tackle from Michigan off waivers to help shore up the tackle room. Beyond him, the practice squad is also a holding area for a few players who were part of the late-roster conversation, with some in line to help on special teams and others needing more time to develop before they can push for active-roster work. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Practice Squad Could Bring Back Familiar Faces And A Few Surprises
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The next day or so will sort out whether those released players can return, and whether the Bengals make any outside additions before the waiver deadline passes. It is the kind of roster shuffle that can quietly matter later in the year, especially for a team trying to preserve continuity while also leaving room for a surprise or two. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Just Took Another Painful Hit From The Jessie Bates Fallout
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Jacksons exit adds to the uneasy early return on Cincinnatis 2024 draft class, which has already seen several picks waived or fighting just to stay in the picture. For a team trying to stabilize its trenches and build around a few core veterans, the bigger concern is how quickly a young class can go from hope to uncertainty when the roster starts turning over this fast. [Read more 🡒]