After undergoing knee surgery, the standout safety is leaning on mental reps to master Jim Leonhard’s new defense while eyeing a full return for July’s summer sessions.
Cole Bishop has established himself as one of the better players on the Buffalo Bills defense. Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to get on the field to build off a strong second season.
Earlier in the offseason, the third-year safety underwent a small surgery on his left knee. The scope is a minimally invasive procedure that usually doesn't keep people on the field for too long.
Still, it was enough to keep him off the practice field for all of Buffalo's Organized Team Activities (OTAs) and mandatory minicamp.
But that doesn't mean he wasn't in attendance.
Bishop appeared on the sidelines at times throughout the offseason work, watching as the new defense under Jim Leonhard took shape. Instead of being physical, Bishop took mental reps to understand what was happening.
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It's something he's been used to as a pro, something that he admits is frustrating.
“We’ve all had this conversation, unfortunately,” Bishop said this week. “I was in the same situation in training camp and OTAs when I was out in the past couple years.
"I’ve taken mental reps before. Obviously, you’d like to be out there, but I feel like I got a really good understanding of the defense. So, I’m excited to get out there."
As far as a timeline for his return, Bishop said he didn't have anything exact, though he did start running again recently. His expectation, however, is to be ready for training camp at the end of July.
"If I wasn’t ready for camp, then stuff went bad,” Bishop said. "I should be good for camp for sure. I don’t have an exact timeline other than that."
After a modest rookie season, Bishop started all 17 games in 2025 for Buffalo. He finished the year with 85 tackles, four tackles for loss, seven passes defended, and three interceptions. He also added an interception in the playoffs, sealing the Bills' Wild Card win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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