Bills Face Tough Free Agency Decision with Jordan Poyer
By Kevin Devine
Buffalo Bills already have Jordan Poyer’s replacement
The Bills had the number one defense in the NFL as measured by DVOA in 2022. That was with Micah Hyde missing the final 16 weeks of the regular season and the entirety of the playoffs with a neck injury. Hyde has been cleared to return to football and should enter the 2023 season with a clean bill of health.
Assuming Poyer is not back with the Bills, they are essentially adding a very similar player with Hyde’s return from injury, meaning that the defense without Poyer in 2023 will look very similar to the defense that was ranked number 1 in the NFL in DVOA in 2022. As much as it hurts to say, losing Poyer should not have a drastic impact on the Bills defense due to Hyde’s return.
Beyond the return of Hyde, the Bills have another player who could be ready to step into a bigger role as a safety. Christian Benford makes too much sense as a Jordan Poyer replacement not to give him a shot. Both Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer were drafted as late-round corners (Hyde in the fifth round by the Green Bay Packers, and Poyer in the seventh round by the Philadelphia Eagles) and then converted to safety where they thrived and came together as a dominant tandem in Buffalo.
With Tre’Davious White entrenched at corner, and 2022 top draft pick Kaiir Elam ready to step into a bigger role, it makes sense that Benford’s future would follow the path of Hyde and Poyer, providing the Bills with a younger and cheaper option that could be a long-term solution at the position after being drafted by the Bills in the sixth round in the 2022 draft. While it is not always an advantage to go young in the NFL, Poyer’s age and injury history have to be taken into account as well.