Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - As the Buffalo Bills look towards free agency and the NFL Draft, my 2023 "State of the Bills" position-by-position series continues.
Here’s a look at the safeties:
Under contract:
- Micah Hyde
- Damar Hamlin
- Jared Mayden
- Zayne Anderson
Pending Free Agents:
- Jordan Poyer
- Jaquan Johnson
- Dean Marlowe
State of the position:
For a position that was incredibly consistent for six years, there are far more questions than answers this offseason.
All eyes are on Poyer, who is set to hit free agency. Ever since last training camp, it never seemed as if the Bills were very eager to sign Poyer to an extension. The safety made it clear he wanted to stay, but he also wants to be paid among the best at his position.
There’s no doubt he’s played like that for the Bills, and is one of the top players in the league at his spot.
However, Poyer will be 32 in April, and injuries have mounted, including missing four games this past season.
At some point, the Bills have to start getting younger there. It’s a tough position for them to balance.
The team could still try to work something out before free agency opens on Wednesday, but it seems less-and-less likely as that time approaches, especially if Poyer can get a high-money, multi-year deal elsewhere.
Poyer’s running mate for the last five years in Buffalo is still under contract for one more season, but missed almost all of last season after a scary neck injury suffered in Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans.
Hyde is already 32-years-old himself. He said he was cleared to play if the Bills had advanced another week in the playoffs, so he should be good to go for training camp.
Poyer and Hyde formed, arguably, the best safety tandem in the NFL together. But that time may be coming to an end.
Will the Bills try to keep the duo together for one more year, or will Hyde be relied on to anchor the position with a new partner?
If that’s the case, that could be Hamlin, whose situation and story made international headlines last year after collapsing on the turf at Paycor Stadium in Week 17 and needing CPR and an AED to kickstart his heartbeat.
It’s not out of the question that Hamlin returns to the field. General manager Brandon Beane recently said at the NFL Scouting Combine that Hamlin wants to return if he gets full clearance from doctors.
Even if that happens, the Bills would have to make their own decision on him. Would they be comfortable with Hamlin playing again? How much and what role would that include?
It’s just another question on top of plenty of others at the position.
Johnson has been a very important part of the Bills' special teams units over the past four years, contributing sparingly on defense. A sixth-round pick in 2019, Johnson has done an excellent job of embracing his role and earning the job every year.
But now it’s time for the Bills to make a decision on re-signing him or moving on, and for Johnson to see if he can get either more money or a better opportunity to play on defense, as he gets set to hit the open market.
The Bills traded a seventh-round pick to the Atlanta Falcons for Marlowe at the NFL Trade Deadline to help strengthen the depth at the position. He didn’t play much, and was even inactive for the team’s final four regular season games.
However, Marlowe started both playoff games, and even collected an interception in the AFC Wild Card win over the Miami Dolphins.
Marlowe goes all the way back to the Carolina days with Sean McDermott, playing for the Bills head coach when he was the Panthers' defensive coordinator. He will turn 31-years-old this offseason.
Now that it looks like McDermott will be calling the defensive plays, and given the questions surrounding this group, it’s certainly possible they bring Marlowe back on a minimum deal for veteran depth.
As for Mayden and Anderson, they have played a combined 13 NFL regular season games over the past three seasons.
Mayden ended the season on the Bills' active roster after they signed him off the New York Jets' practice squad in January. He had been on the Bills' practice squad for a couple weeks earlier in the season.
Anderson signed with the Bills right after the season ended. He had been on the Kansas City Chiefs' practice squad through all of 2022.
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