In some way or another, the Buffalo Bills were going to make cuts on their roster to clear up cap space. They originally came into the 2024 offseason with the second least amount of cap space in the NFL.
These cuts included well-known defensive backs Jordan Poyer and Tre'Davious White. Both players had been in Buffalo for seven seasons each and have a combined three Pro Bowl appearances between the two of them. In short, they were figureheads of the Bills' defense for a good while. The two players had 40 interceptions between them as well during their time with Buffalo.
Now Poyer and White both were studs during their Bills' careers. But, White did not see the field a lot in 2023 playing in only 4 games. So the move does have its reasoning behind it.
The good news for Buffalo is that plenty of other players with good 2023-24 seasons in the secondary are returning to Orchard Park.
Two players that are coming back that initially come to mind are cornerbacks Taron Johnson (under contract for one more season) and Christian Benford (under contract for two more seasons). Both guys were top five on the team in tackles with a combined 152 tackles between them. Johnson had the second most pass breakups in any of his seasons with 8 and Benford had 10 of them with 2 interceptions to boot.
Rasul Douglas is another player under contract through this season. He showed a lot of upside once leaving Green Bay to play for the Bills with 29 tackles, 4 interceptions, and a pick six over the course of nine games. He should play a bigger role in the Bills' defensive back unit next season.
Micah Hyde will be a mystery for the Bills as he is waiting on offers from either them or other NFL teams. But, the jury is out on whether or not Buffalo and he could agree to a friendlier deal. Hyde had 50+ tackles and 2 interceptions while playing most of the 2023-24 season.
Regardless of the Hyde situation, the Bills do have the talent beyond Poyer and White to keep the secondary a well put together unit. The team has also had a good past with drafting defensive backs.