Porter is vying to be the second son of a former Buffalo player to suit up for the club in the last two seasons
The Buffalo Bills rostered a former player’s son last summer, as future Hall of Fame running back Frank Gore’s son, Frank Gore Jr., tried to make the 53-man roster. While he ultimately didn’t make the club, he did stay with the team on the practice squad, and he was active for one game last season.
Today’s installment of “90 players in 90 days” centers on another former Buffalo player’s son who will try to make the 53-man roster. He’s a defensive back, just like his dad, who will likely have to show that he can contribute on special teams if he’s going to make an impact at the professional level.
Name: Daryl Porter
Number: 38
Position: DB
Height/Weight: 5’10”, 185 pounds
Age: 23 (24 on 2/3/2026)
Experience/Draft: R; signed with Buffalo following the 2025 NFL Draft
College: Miami
Acquired: UDFA signing
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Porter signed a three-year contract worth a total of $2.975 million this spring. If he makes the 53-man roster, he’ll carry a cap hit of $843,333 for the season. If he’s released, Buffalo is on the hook for a dead-cap charge of $10,000.
2024 Recap: The fifth-year senior finished his third year with the Hurricanes, and he saved his best season in Miami for last. Porter totaled 28 tackles and a team-high seven pass breakups over the course of 12 games, all of which were starts.
He wasn’t invited to the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. Porter bench pressed 225 lbs. a total of 12 times at Miami’s pro day, however, adding a 4.6-second 40-yard dash, 36” vertical jump, 4.53-second 20-yard shuttle, and 7.15-second three-cone drill.
Positional outlook: Porter is listed as a defensive back, so the Bills may not be entirely sure where they want him to play right now. Based on his size and athletic measurables, as well as his positioning in college, he’s likely either to be a slot corner or a safety.
Buffalo’s current players who fill those roles include Cam Lewis, Taron Johnson, Cole Bishop, Jordan Hancock, Darrick Forest, Taylor Rapp, Damar Hamlin, Wande Owens, and Te’Cory Couch.
2025 Offseason: Porter is healthy and participating in offseason work to date.
2025 Season outlook: Porter faces an uphill climb in a crowded defensive secondary, as he doesn’t possess the size or the top-end athleticism to separate himself from the pack. He’ll have to prove himself valuable in terms of his versatility and his ability on special teams if he wants to sniff the 53-man roster, and performing well in those areas will help him to have a shot at the practice squad, as well, which is a more realistic hope for him this year.
If Porter’s name sounds familiar to you, and you aren’t a fan of Miami Hurricanes football, you might recall that his father, also named Daryl Porter, played for the Bills over three seasons. The senior Porter wore number 22 with Buffalo from 1998-2000. He appeared in 34 games with the Bills, playing in sub packages and on special teams, totaling 50 tackles, one interception, six pass breakups, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and one fumble returned for a touchdown in those three seasons.
If you feel like torturing yourself like I just did, you can watch a replay of Tennessee Titans tight end Frank Wycheck’s lateral to wideout Kevin Dyson in the 1999 AFC Wild Card Playoffs to see that number 22 appears to have been one of the players who would have had outside contain on the play. I’m not going to link it here — just because I chose to traumatize myself all over again doesn’t mean that I’m going to subject you to that — but it was pretty clear that Porter crashed too aggressively on fullback Lorenzo Neal.
That has nothing to do with whether or not his son should make the current roster. Porter the younger is likely fighting for a practice squad spot this season. I’m interested to see what kind of cross-training, if any, the Bills do with him this summer.