Darnell Savage Jr. Joins Bills After Commanders Exit: What His Arrival Means for Buffalo’s Secondary
Darnell Savage Jr. is heading to Buffalo, and the timing couldn’t be more interesting. After being a healthy scratch for the Commanders on Sunday Night Football against the Broncos, the veteran safety requested his release.
Washington granted it, and the Bills didn’t waste time putting in a successful waiver claim. Now, Savage has a chance to contribute to a team still fighting for a postseason berth.
Let’s break down what this move means-for Savage, for the Bills, and for a Commanders team that’s clearly moving in a different direction.
The Fallout in Washington
Will Harris’ return from injury was always going to shake up the Commanders’ safety room, and unfortunately for Savage, he ended up being the odd man out. Harris, along with Quan Martin and Jeremy Reaves, has been logging heavy snaps on defense.
Meanwhile, Tyler Owens and Percy Butler have carved out key roles on special teams. That left Savage without a clear path to playing time.
It’s not that Savage wasn’t contributing-far from it. He had a solid showing against the Dolphins earlier this year, playing just under half of the defensive snaps in what may have been his most impactful game of the season.
But in a crowded safety group, and with Harris back in the mix, Savage saw the writing on the wall. Rather than ride the bench, he opted to seek a fresh start.
A New Opportunity in Buffalo
The Bills are still clinging to a wild-card spot, but let’s be honest-they’ve underperformed relative to expectations. Josh Allen has been carrying the load, masking a lot of the team’s shortcomings, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Injuries and inconsistency have plagued Buffalo’s secondary all year, and adding Savage is clearly a move to bolster depth and possibly stabilize things on the back end.
At his best, Savage brings speed, range, and experience to the table. He’s not being asked to come in and be a savior, but he does give the Bills another option in a secondary that’s been patching things together week to week.
The key now is how quickly he can get up to speed in Buffalo’s system. If he can do that, there’s a real chance he could see meaningful snaps down the stretch.
The Fit and the Future
This move doesn’t just benefit the Bills-it’s a win for Savage, too. He goes from a team that’s out of the playoff picture to one that still has everything to play for. Whether he becomes more than an insurance policy remains to be seen, but this is the kind of late-season pickup that could pay dividends if injuries strike or if Buffalo needs a spark on defense.
For Washington, it’s a sign that they’re committing to their current core of safeties and looking ahead. For Buffalo, it’s a low-risk move with potential upside. And for Savage, it’s a second chance at relevance in a season that was starting to slip away.
Now it’s on him to make it count.