Ex-Bills CB Who Started 15 Games Last Season Predicted to Join Rival

The Buffalo Bills shook up their secondary in the offseason, allowing veteran Rasul Douglas to hit free agency and using their top draft pick to find a replacement.

Douglas has not seen much action in free agency, but one analyst believes he could end up landing with a division rival this offseason. The 29-year-old is coming off a season where he started nearly every game for the Bills and helped hold down a Super Bowl-caliber defense, though his next step in the NFL remains unclear.

Rasul Douglas Could Land With Cornerback-Need Team

Mason Cameron of Pro Football Focus predicted Douglas will land with the Miami Dolphins, noting that Buffalo’s AFC East rival struggled against the pass last season and could use a trusted veteran like Douglas.

“Rumors of a Jalen Ramsey trade this summer create a dire need for starting-caliber cornerbacks in Miami. While the sample is small, the Dolphins posted just a 53.6 PFF coverage grade without Ramsey on the field in 2024,” Cameron wrote.

Douglas would be a good fit for the Dolphins’ defensive scheme, Cameron added.

“Rasul Douglas may be a name to target in Miami’s Cover 2-heavy scheme (19.7%, third in NFL), a coverage he excelled in last season, having earned a 74.4 PFF coverage grade,” Cameron wrote.

Though Douglas has not seen much interest so far in free agency, there could be other good fits for the veteran. Packers reporter Jovan Alford suggested the team could bring back the player they dealt to the Bills ahead of the NFL trade deadline in 2023.

“Therefore, the Packers should consider reuniting with former Green Bay cornerback Rasul Douglas, who is still sitting in free agency,” Alford wrote. “The veteran cornerback has reportedly received some interest from a couple of teams, but it hasn’t led to a deal.”

Bills Add Young Talent to the Secondary

Douglas was a stalwart in the secondary since coming to Buffalo, starting 23 of his 24 games and making 87 total tackles. He was a turnover machine in 2023, making four total interceptions and returning one for a touchdown, but didn’t generate a pick last season.

The Bills infused youth in their secondary, using their first-round pick on Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston, who has earned some praise through the start of practices. The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia noted that the Bills seem to be paying extra attention, which was evident when he made a mistake at practice and both the team’s coaching staff and veteran Tre’Davious White all worked with him to correct it.

“Regardless of that brief moment, all of the attention the Bills are giving to him likely isn’t by accident, and naturally tends to go to players people believe can become an important player down the line,” Buscaglia wrote. “Mixed with his natural talents, if Hairston gets things ironed out from a scheme and technique standpoint, he is a potential long-term starter with speed the Bills have never had at cornerback under Sean McDermott. Some of his teammates think it’s a matter of ‘when’ not ‘if’ for Hairston, which also bodes well for his future.”