Buffalo Bills would be foolish not to pursue free agent Jeremy Chinn

The Buffalo Bills are going to need a fresh start at safety this offseason as Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer started to show their age last season. Hyde is set to be a free agent and has hinted at the possibility of retiring while Poyer still has one year left but could be a cut candidate if the coaching staff wants a complete change.

One of the first moves that Sean McDermott made as head coach of the Buffalo Bills was to sign Hyde and Poyer as free agents. He will need to find that magic once again and he could do so by signing former Carolina Panthers' safety Jeremy Chinn.

Jeremy Chinn was a second round pick by the Carolina Panthers and made an immediate impact on their defense with 117 total tackles, one interception, two fumble recoveries and returned both for touchdowns. He was runner-up to Chase Young for Defensive Rookie of the Year that season.

In his second season, he once again had over 100 total tackles while also securing one interception and one fumble recovery. He would only play 11 games in his third season but still had 70 total tackles with six passes defended.

The final season in Carolina though raises some questions, and probably why the Buffalo Bills could afford him in free agency, as he was almost a non-factor for their defense as he played around 30% of the defensive snaps and had a career-low eight starts.

Why is Jeremy Chinn perfect for the Buffalo Bills defense?

One of the reasons for Chinn's decrease in playing time could be tied to a coaching change as he had Matt Rhule for most of the first three seasons in his career before Rhule was fired during the season. He was replaced by Frank Reich but more notable was the departure of Al Holcomb, who was defensive coordinator for Chinn to begin his career.

Holcomb is now in Buffalo and is the linebacker coach for the upcoming season. If there is anyone who knows Jeremy Chinn's skillset and how to utilize him best, it might be him.

Chinn is a versatile safety as he has great size at 6'3" and 220 pounds which allows him to play in the box and support the run. Meanwhile, he has the athleticism to drop back into coverage if needed with two interceptions and 17 passes defended.

This was one of the reasons that Hyde and Poyer were so effective as a duo because responsibilities could be shared between the two. It kept offenses off balance because it was tough to know what they were expected to do in any particular play.

When looking ahead to free agency, Chinn may not have as much interest after last season and this could be enough for the Bills to convince him to come to Buffalo.