ORCHARD PARK — The Buffalo Bills have fired safeties coach Jim Salgado, a person with direct knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the Bills have not announced the move. ESPN.com first reported the firing.
Salgado just completed his sixth season with Buffalo, and his first coaching safeties. He broke in with the team as a defensive assistant in 2017 before being promoted to overseeing the nickel cornerback position in 2020.
Salgado's firing comes days after the Bills' season ended Sunday with a 27-10 loss to Cincinnati in the divisional round of the playoffs. And it follows a year in which injuries depleted Buffalo's depth at safety, with the most notable to Damar Hamlin, who went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated on the field in Cincinnati on Jan. 2.
Hamlin continues to recover and was healthy enough to attend Buffalo's last game.
Hamlin was starting in place of veteran starter Micah Hyde, who had surgery to repair a herniated disk after being injured in Week 2. Starter Jordan Poyer, meanwhile, spent a majority of the season playing through an assortment of injuries.
Coach Sean McDermott declined to discuss any potential changes to his staff during his end-of-season news conference on Monday, saying he needed more time for evaluation. McDermott didn't mention his secondary but did specify he was disappointed with the inconsistent play of Buffalo's defensive line, especially after pass rusher Von Miller sustained a season-ending knee injury in November.
Buffalo's season ended with a thud following a 13-3 regular-season finish in which it matched a single-season record for victories and won its third consecutive AFC East title.
Overall, the Bills' secondary, which was previously the team's strength, featured a revolving door of players. Starting cornerback Tre'Davious White missed the first three months of the season recovering from a knee injury. Injuries and inconsistent play led to Buffalo splitting the other starting cornerback position among three players, including rookie first-round draft pick Kaiir Elam.
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