Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde belong in Madden 22’s Top 10 safeties
By Aaron Tully
Just like fans of every other NFL franchise, Buffalo Bills fans anticipate the yearly release of the Madden NFL 22 video game from EA Sports. On Thursday, EA revealed the overall ratings of the top ten safeties in this year’s installment of the franchise. The Top 10 goes as follows:
Tyran Mathieu: 95
Budda Baker: 93
Devin McCourty: 92
Jessie Bates III: 91
Justin Simmons: 91
Jamal Adams: 90
Harrison Smith: 90
Eddie Jackson: 89
Adrian Amos: 89
Minkah Fitzpatrick: 89
One thing that Buffalo Bills fans may notice is that neither Jordan Poyer nor Micah Hyde are on that list.
The likes of Mathieu, Baker, Bates, Simmons, and Smith are all worthy of their spots in the Top 10. The other five, on the other hand, could be debated.
Hyde and Poyer’s ratings are not yet revealed. EA has only revealed the ratings of certain rookies and the top ten players of certain positions.
When comparing Hyde and Poyer to some of the safeties in the Top 10, one could start to formulate an argument as to why they should be rated higher than some of their fellow safeties.
In 2020, Poyer finished with 124 combined tackles, five passes defended, two forced fumbles, two interceptions, and two sacks. Hyde finished with 70 combined tackles, five passes defended, and an interception. Those numbers are certainly comparable to some of the safeties in Madden 22’s Top 10.
A good place to start would be with Devin McCourty. In 2020, McCourty finished with 68 combined tackles, six passes defended, and two interceptions. McCourty’s numbers are not that much better than Poyer and Hyde’s. Poyer, at the very least, should be rated higher than McCourty. Hyde should definitely be within three as well.
The next player being compared is Eddie Jackson. In 2020, Jackson finished with 82 combined tackles, three forced fumbles, and five passes defended. Poyer’s numbers warrant a higher rating than Jackson’s, and the argument could be made that Hyde should be the same rating or just one lower than Jackson.
The last player that will be compared is Jamal Adams. In 2020, Adams recorded 9.5 sacks, 83 combined tackles, defended three passes, and forced a fumble. Adams is a great pass rusher, but as a safety, he is most certainly not Top 10. Adams is a useful tool for a defense to have, but Poyer and Hyde are both better pure safeties than Adams is, and they should be rated higher than him at the safety position in Madden 22.
4 Bills who could emerge as preseason stars. dark. Next
Every single player in the Top 10 is a great player, and no one is saying that they aren’t. This is more about the lack of recognition that Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer still get after four years of being one of the NFL’s best safety tandems for the Buffalo Bills.