The Buffalo Bills signed veteran safety Jordan Poyer to the practice squad to provide experienced support to the safety group and young defensive backs. The move mirrors last season's addition of Micah Hyde, who assisted the defense without playing. The safety position has uncertainty as second-year Cole Bishop prepares to start alongside veteran Taylor Rapp. Poyer spent 2017-2023 with the Bills, forming a top safety tandem with Hyde, helping end a 17-year playoff drought and earning Pro Bowl (2022) and first-team All-Pro (2021) honors. He spent last season with the Miami Dolphins on a one-year, $2 million deal.
Poyer, 34, previously spent 2017-2023 with the Bills, initially signing a four-year deal with the team in 2017. Over the next seven seasons he formed one of the NFL's best safety tandems alongside Hyde. He is credited for helping the Bills break a 17-year playoff drought during his first season with the team and was a fan favorite throughout his time there. He was named to one Pro Bowl (2022) and selected as a first team All-Pro (2021) during his time in Buffalo.
The deal is similar to what the team did with former starting safety Micah Hyde last season, signing him to the practice squad in December. Hyde did not end up playing for the Bills, but helped as a support to the defense, specifically the team's young defensive backs. The Bills are going into this season with some question about where the safety group stands as second-year safety Cole Bishop prepares to start the season starting with veteran Taylor Rapp.
In his time away, Poyer was with an AFC East foe, signing a one-year, $2 million contract with the Miami Dolphins last offseason after the Bills released him last March. A longtime resident of South Florida, he viewed the signing as effectively a homecoming. The 2021 first-team All-Pro finished second on the team with 98 tackles while playing 96% of the team's defensive snaps.
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