Bills’ safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde return for a seventh season together

Buffalo Bills safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer are back in Buffalo for their seventh season together. After the third day of training camp, both players spoke with the media.

“Yeah, it’s very surreal, actually,” Poyer said about the thought of him and Hyde back together.

In Week 2 of the 2022 regular season, Hyde went down with a neck injury — an injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season. After the season was over, Poyer was set to hit the open market, and some thought the Bills wouldn’t be able to retain Poyer. However, he re-signed with the team on a two-year, $12.5 million deal.

The dynamic safety duo is getting up there in age, and Hyde knows they need to make the most of every opportunity.

“...I think the older guys understand that you gotta get it, gotta get it now. There’s not too many opportunities left,” Hyde said.

Hyde is thankful his sidekick out on the football field is back in Buffalo.

“It’s truly awesome to have Po come back. Throughout his whole contract situation, he was letting me know what was going on, calling me up, giving me the details and stuff,” Hyde explained. “We really didn’t know what was going to be going on. It’s awesome to have Po back and we see the same things every single day on the field, off the field. It’s a blessing to have him back also because I know I play my best game when he’s healthy.”

Poyer struggled with injuries last season, playing through a meniscus tear and a severe elbow injury. That didn’t stop Poyer from playing on game day, as the Bills went 13-1 when he was out there, with the only loss being to the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional playoff game.

Last year for Poyer was the hardest season he ever went through, but he learned a lot.

“It gave me a lot of perspective. I learned a lot about myself last year. There was times where; I’m sure my wife would tell you. I’m coming home and I can barely walk up the stairs,” Poyer said. “It was the hardest season I probably ever went through. I wasn’t myself playing injured. Ribs, elbow, foot. It was tough, but at the same time, looking back I wouldn’t change it. I learned a lot about myself then. I learned a lot about what I can persevere through. If I can persevere through something like last season, I can do anything. I really truly believe that...”

Poyer added this year he wants to play “100% of the snaps,” and will do that next to his sidekick Micah Hyde.

When asked if he plays his best ball when he’s with Hyde, Poyer didn’t skip a beat, and had high praise for the other guys he has played with for so long :

“Absolutely. I mean, we’ve played together for so long, we hear a call and I automatically know where he’s going and he automatically knows where I’m going,” Poyer said. “It’s like one or two words said to each other and boom, we playing ball. I mean, not even just Micah. Milano, Tre’Davious, Taron, Dane. We’ve built this thing to have the trust in each other, and I think that’s huge.”

Living in the moment is something Poyer will continue to do, and Hyde will be right by his side.

“That’s just the way the universe works, man. It’s truly a blessing. I’m just trying to take it all in, be present in these moments. I’m not worried about what’s gonna happen this offseason or next year,” Poyer explained. “This is my time. This is our time to be here, to learn, to grow, to evolve as people and as a football team. Let the dominoes fall how they fall. We’re gonna play, we’re gonna play hard. There’s gonna be some ups. There’s gonna be some downs this season. The likelihood of us going 17-0: You would love to, but being realistic, there’s going to be some ups and downs. That’s the NFL. You’re gonna have to learn how to handle what’s thrown at you each and every week..”

Training camp is the first step of many for Poyer and this Bills team.

“...We’re ready for the challenge. We’re gonna continue to practice hard, go through training camp, and make each other better. When that time comes, we’ll be ready to play.”

Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images