Bills Safety Makes Case For More Playing Time After Strong Showing Against Ravens

Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens meant a lot of things for the Buffalo Bills.

The win moved the Bills to 6-1 on the season, putting them in first place in the AFC through eight weeks. It also marked the first time this season that the team has held an opponent to 10 or fewer points.

A big reason for that, aside from Baltimore going through three quarterbacks, was the play of practice squad callup Geno Stone. 

Getting his first regular-season action of the year, Stone was called into service with C.J. Gardner-Johnson serving a one-game suspension for spitting on Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers. And in his first game, he rewarded the Bills with a strong performance.

Stone finished the afternoon with six tackles, a tackle for loss, and a pass defended. That pass defended led directly to the first interception of Davison Igbinosun's career. 

After the game, Stone spoke about getting back on the field this year and what it meant for him.

"This team brought life back to me,” Stone told reporters “The past few years, it kind of took a mental toll on me, the things I went through. But this place gave me life."

Stone signed a one-year contract with the Bills in March. He was part of the last wave of cuts in August before re-signing with the practice squad. It took seven games, but Stone is hopeful he's shown enough to earn more time on the field.

"I got a lot to prove this year myself," he said, adding that defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard told him to just be himself before the game.

There is a lot of hope from fans that Buffalo will go out and acquire a safety to play alongside Cole Bishop. To that, Stone seems to believe they don't need someone different.

"Hey, I’m here," he said. "That’s all I gotta say."

Regarding any more playing time this year, Leonhard, without specifically mentioning Stone, said there are players who are making things tough for the coaches. That likely includes both Stone and fellow safety Damar Hamlin, who started in place of Gardner-Johnson against the Ravens.

Gardner-Johnson returns to practice this week after a week away. Stone, on the other hand, returns to the practice squad. He's eligible to be called up two more times this season before the Bills have to make a decision on his roster status.