The undrafted rookie corner is vying for a seat in the defensive backfield
The Buffalo Bills turned over much of their defensive secondary between the end of the 2023 NFL season and today. Gone are three players who started most of the games over the last seven seasons, as well as a key reserve who stepped in when one of those players was hurt.
With that in mind, the Bills are going to have some room for new faces in the defensive backfield this season. Some of those players were signed via free agency, and others were drafted this past April. However, the Bills have been known to keep undrafted players in the defensive backfield (see Wallace, Levi and Lewis, Cam) and play them in larger roles if they earn them. They’ve also suited up players with lesser drafted pedigree (Christian Benford) over those who were drafted early on in the process (Kaiir Elam).
If there’s a positional group in our “91 players in 91 days” feature that might see a surprise addition, it very well could be the defensive secondary. In today’s piece, we profile one of the longer shots on the roster — a UDFA with plenty of starting experience in college.
Name: Te’Cory Couch
Number: 33
Position: DB
Height/Weight: 5’10”, 175 pounds
Age: 24 (25 on 9/6/2024)
Experience/Draft: R; signed with Bills as UDFA following the 2024 NFL Draft
College: Miami (FL)
Acquired: UDFA signing
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Couch signed his three-year rookie deal for a tick above the standard amount — his deal is worth $2.85 million overall. That includes $70,000 in total guarantees, which would also be the dead-cap figure Buffalo carries should he be released. If Couch makes the roster, he’ll carry a cap number of $801,666 for the 2024 season.
2023 Recap: Couch was once again a starting corner for the Hurricanes, and he had his best season in Miami as a fifth-year senior. He had a career-high 38 tackles on the season, as well as a career-high three interceptions. Two of those picks came in Miami’s win over Temple. He had seven pass breakups on the year, as well, which tied his career high. While he wasn’t invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, he posted decent numbers at Miami’s Pro Day. Couch ran a 4.51-second 40-yard dash, 33” vertical, and 10’4” broad jump.
Positional outlook: Couch joins a crowded secondary, but a secondary with plenty of roles available. Rasul Douglas, Christian Benford, Kaiir Elam, Ja’Marcus Ingram, Taron Johnson, Kyron Brown, Cam Lewis, Daequan Hardy, and Keni-H Lovely are the others who figure in to the cornerback conversation. Couch is listed as a DB, though, so perhaps the Bills are looking to see how he looks as a free safety. The team also lists Kendall Williamson and Dee Delaney as DBs.
2024 Offseason: Couch is healthy and participating in OTAs.
2024 Season outlook: Of the undrafted players Buffalo has at DB in camp, I think Couch ranks a step below Lovely in terms of overall athletic potential, though he has a leg up in terms of quality of competition faced in college and overall NCAA production. Both players have ground to gain on another pair of former UDFAs — Cam Lewis and Ja’Marcus Ingram — who have years of experience in the Bills’ system.
While most everyone’s focus has been on Buffalo’s wide receiver room and its shortcomings, the lack of depth Buffalo has at outside corner is more concerning to me. Benford has yet to stay healthy in a full professional season, Elam has yet to prove that he can consistently earn playing time, and Douglas is about to turn 30 and has managed to suit up for all of his team’s games just once this decade.
So, while CB4 might not be of much concern for some clubs, chances seem pretty good that it will be a position where the Bills need to use it. If Couch can show out during the preseason, he has a chance to be that guy, but I wouldn’t bank on it. He’s likely looking for space on the practice squad this season.