“I feel really good about what’s on the 53, I do.” That was general manager Brandon Beane back in August, assuming his roster could dodge the usual NFL injury bug. But as the Buffalo Bills head toward the holidays, that preseason optimism has run into a revolving door in the secondary, forcing the team to poach fresh blood straight out of a conference rival’s backyard.

The Bills have chewed through roughly 10 defensive-back moves just to keep things going – from Jordan Hancock hitting IR in September to a carousel of practice-squad bodies like A.J. Woods and Anthony Kendall. Cornerback Te’Cory Couch was promoted to the active roster in late October, but safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson got released just days later.

That secondary churn forced another roster move this week. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bills are bringing in former Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs corner Kader Kohou to the practice squad. This move comes just days after KC cut the 27-year-old following their Week 8 stumble against the Denver Broncos.

For Buffalo, Kohou is far from an unknown quantity. They spent three years watching him thrive as a thorn in their side down in Miami after he went undrafted out of Texas A&M-Commerce back in 2022. He was already the starter by Week 3 of his rookie season.

That year, he hit the ground running with 72 combined and 63 solo tackles. Across three years in Miami, he played 47 games (38 starts) and recorded 180 combined tackles, 5 QB-Hits, and a sack before a training camp ACL tear wiped out his 2025 season before it could begin.

Kohou joined the Chiefs on a one-year deal this offseason, but after missing the initial 53-man cut and bouncing on and off their practice squad, KC officially pulled the plug following the Week 8 loss to the Broncos. Now, he gets a clean slate in upstate New York.

Fit-wise, this move makes a lot of sense for what Buffalo is missing. Kohou is a natural nickel corner who lives in the slot – logging 453 snaps there in 2024, 601 in 2023, and 482 during his breakout rookie run.

Coming into the year, the Bills had penciled in Dee Alford as their starting slot man, with Beane pointing to the team’s positional flexibility as a built-in safety net.

“That’s the great thing about Dee, he is our starting nickel, but Jordan Hancock’s done a nice job. If we feel like we need to move Dee outside for an injury or whatever’s going on, we can do that as well,” said Beane. “As we build our roster in different positions, we’re trying to have guys like the Hancocks of the world that can play [multiple spots].”

Of course, plans change fast when injuries pile up. Hancock’s hamstring landed him on IR. Alford, meanwhile, has also dealt with an ankle injury this season. He was listed as questionable heading into Week 8 before eventually sitting out the matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.

Whether Kader Kohou gets the call-up to the active roster right away remains to be seen. But grabbing a battle-tested slot defender who already knows the AFC East Script inside and out is exactly the kind of move we can expect to see with the trade deadline looming close.