Buffalo Bills 2021 Offseason Position Preview: Safety

One of the constants for the Buffalo Bills under Sean McDermott is that they have gotten good play from their safeties. This is due in large part to one of the first moves the Bills made with McDermott as head coach was to bring in Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde.

These two have combined to be one of the best duos in the league and this past offseason Poyer was given a new contract that keeps him with the team through 2022. Let’s take a look at the safety position and see what players are under contract for next season and who are free agents.

Under Contract in 2021

Jordan Poyer

Micah Hyde

Jaquan Johnson

Siran Neal

Josh Thomas – Reserve/Future Contract

The Buffalo Bills know Poyer will be the team for the next two seasons but Micah Hyde is entering the final year of his five-year contract he signed when he joined the team in 2017. He is certainly a candidate who could receive a new deal even though he is under contract next season.

The rest of the depth chart is a big unknown because of the fact that Poyer and Hyde have been so durable over the years. One player to watch in this group is Jaquan Johnson, who was a sixth round pick by the Bills in 2019. If the Bills are confident in Johnson, then they may wait on an extension for Hyde.

Free Agent

Dean Marlowe – Unrestricted Free Agent

The only free agent the Buffalo Bills have is Dean Marlowe who has spent the past four seasons with the Bills but played for Sean McDermott for two years with the Carolina Panthers prior to joining the Bills.

This past season though was the most playing time Marlowe has seen and started four games. He played well when given a chance to get on the field and had 23 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, two interceptions and three passes defended.

While he may not be a priority free agent, the Buffalo Bills should try to bring back Marlowe this offseason.