Re-signing Jordan Poyer eventually turned into a no-brainer for the Buffalo Bills.
Even Pro Football Focus can admit that.
As free agency unfolded early, the hope for the Bills was likely to lock up linebacker Tremaine Edmunds to an extension first and foremost because of his youth and potential. When that became impossible when he signed with the Chicago Bears, attention turned to Poyer and he’s back.
PFF named their favorite move by every NFL team when the free agent market opened. Poyer was their selection for Buffalo.
The football analytics outlet admits that Poyer played banged up last season and the loss of Micah Hyde for the year due to a neck injury likely hampered Poyer in 2022. But PFF does not think there’s any reason to believe the 32-year-old won’t go right back to the high levels he previously played at since 2017 when he originally signed with the Bills.
Here’s PFF’s full analysis on their favorite decision of Poyer re-signing:
Poyer has been remarkably durable in the latter half of his career, logging around 1,000 snaps in five straight seasons before finally missing some time and playing through various ailments in 2022. This likely helps explain how Buffalo was able to retain a cornerstone of its defense on a team-friendly deal, and the team will once again have the dynamic duo of Poyer and Micah Hyde on the back end.
From 2020 to 2021, Poyer ranked ninth among safeties in PFF wins above replacement and second in coverage grade (90.7). He and Hyde can both excel in single-high and two-high safety looks, allowing Sean McDermott to creatively deploy them and confuse opposing quarterbacks with various looks. Buffalo retains a key defensive piece here for less than many expected.
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