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The Buffalo Bills have one of the best safety duos in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
Many observers of the Bills could’ve told you that since 2017 when the pairing was first brought together by Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott. But the fancy stats are nice, too.
PFF named their top safety tandems in the NFL, and the football analytics outlet pegged Hyde and Poyer the third-best in the league. Here’s their breakdown of Buffalo’s safeties:
Over the last two seasons, Hyde has earned the fourth-best man-coverage grade (85.0) among qualifying safeties while Jordan Poyer has earned the eighth-best zone-coverage grade (86.1). Their collaboration has helped the Bills’ pass defense allow the fewest yards per reception (9.8) over the last two seasons. McDermott’s formula has worked in Buffalo, and his key ingredients begin with Hyde and Poyer.
On PFF’s list, the only two tandems listed above Buffalo’s are the Vikings (Harrison Smith, Anthony Harris) and Patriots (Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung). Another AFC East pair, the Jets (Jamal Adams, Marcus Maye) also slot in this five-team list at No. 4. Who knows how long Adams will be around, though.
For their efforts, only Hyde has earned national recognition in Buffalo, though. In 2017, he was a Pro Bowler, and Poyer is overdue for the same recognition. But regardless, McDermott bringing these two together is a big feather in his cap. That’s because prior to joining the Bills, little was known about either.
Hyde made a bit of a name for himself with the Packers, but he was more so a player who would move around their defense and be a jack-of-all-trades guy Not a stay-at-home, dominant safety. Poyer dealt with injuries early in his career. Then in 2017, everyone started hearing about these two, and will for years to come.
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