The Buffalo Bills announced on Mar. 16 that they have signed safety Geno Stone to a one-year deal. Stone, who played the last two seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, joins the team as it heads into the 2026 season under new head coach Joe Brady and defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.
The addition of Stone is significant for Buffalo’s defense, which is placing an emphasis on creating turnovers in the upcoming season. The team aims to leverage his strengths and experience in taking the ball away from opponents.
“Talking to my agent, he’s always said the Bills are one of the better organizations to be with and he’s always raved about it,” Stone said after signing Monday. “So, for me, it’s just an easy decision.”
Stone started all 17 games for Cincinnati in both 2024 and 2025. Last season he recorded 104 total tackles, four tackles for loss, four quarterback hits, four passes defensed, two sacks and two interceptions—including a pick six against New England.
“They’re going to use me to my strengths, and that’s the main thing I want to do at this point in my career is playing to my strengths and limiting my weaknesses,” Stone said. “That’s why they brought me in: to go get the ball. So, that’s how I was envisioning myself. That’s how I see myself in a lot of place … It’s cool as someone coming in to hear that’s an emphasis, taking the ball away.”
Before joining Cincinnati, Stone began his NFL career with Baltimore after being drafted by them in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Iowa (219th overall). He had a challenging rookie year that included time on waivers and practice squads before returning briefly to Baltimore following a stint with Houston.
During his tenure with Baltimore over four seasons, he made notable contributions including eight interceptions across 51 games—eventually earning a starting role by 2023 when he started eleven regular season games.
Although new to Buffalo’s roster, Stone noted familiarity with several players on the team such as A.J. Epenesa and Damar Hamlin as well as former Bill Micah Hyde through their shared agent relationships.
“I’m seven years into the league. I’ve been around a lot to know what it takes to be a pro in this league and what it takes to win,” Stone said. “I know what it takes to get to the next step and my goal is to get back to the AFC Championship, win that and get to the Super Bowl.”
