Orchard Park, N.Y. (WGR 550) – Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer was practicing for a second-straight day on Monday wearing a red non-contact jersey. Poyer injured his elbow in early August, and the team has been careful not to bring him back too soon.
The Bills don’t have their first game until a week from Thursday against the Los Angeles Rams, but the safety says he’ll use that time to get himself totally ready.
“It feels good to be back on the field with the guys. It feels like it’s been forever,” said Poyer following Monday's session in Orchard Park.
Unless something goes wrong, Poyer believes he’ll play against the Rams in the season opener on Sept. 8.
“I expect to be out there, as long as there’s no setbacks," he said. "It feels really good now, and I’m working hard to try to get it to 100% before the first game.”
Poyer has been looking for a new contract since the offseason, but he hasn’t missed any time because of it. The safety has been very professional in his approach.
“I’m going to leave that to them upstairs,” Poyer said.
The 31-year-old didn’t appear to be frustrated that the situation with his contract is still going on.
“I’m a ballplayer. That’s what I do, and I'm going to leave the rest for them to figure out,” Poyer said.
Nothing has changed in Poyer's mind, Buffalo and Western New York is where he wants to play football.
“I want to continue to play my best football here in Buffalo for as long as I can, for however long that may be," he said. "I’m here with the guys and ready to attack the season.”
Punter Matt Araiza was cut by the Bills on Saturday after a civil suit was filed in California accusing him of gang-raping a 17-year-old while attending San Diego State. Poyer says it’s something that they’re dealing with as a team.
“I think coach [Sean McDermott] addressed it and we addressed it, and us as players in the locker room, we continue to support the culture that’s here," he said. "We’ll continue to strive for what we believe in, and strive for what we want to accomplish.
“Adversity happens throughout the season, and it’s the teams that handle it the right way that are going to come out on top. It’s something that we’ve got to be able to handle the right way, and I know we’ve got the right group of guys to do that in this locker room.”
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With any team, adversity strikes during a season. Poyer has been around long enough to know it’s not always smooth sailing.
“When you play in this game long enough, you understand that there’s probably going to be some other stumbles throughout the year that we’ll have to figure out," Poyer said. "That’s just part of the business that we’re in.”
Bills center Mitch Morse says the team will keep having open communication with the players, as they get through this.
“It really is such a trying time," said Morse following Monday's practice. "I wish there was, like when the fire alarm was pulled at school, there’s a code you follow. Everyone goes from here-to-here-to-here, and they’re kind of writing the book on it right now. It’s unfortunate, but at the same time, I think they handled it as well as they could.”
There’s no way Morse could avoid hearing what was being said out there as this played out.
“You try not to have the court of public opinion affect yourself, but it’s hard not to," he admitted. "In the end, it was a hard decision for the organization to make. I think they made the one that made the most sense.”
Morse says many things run through your mind in a situation like this.
“As a guy in the locker room, it’s tough, because some guys have kids and that makes you think of those situations," he said. "I think it’s one of those great tests as a group to see where we could go mentally, because it was right before a game and I thought the guys were able to compartmentalize it and they played effectively.”
While Araiza is now cut from the roster, it’s not something that has been forgotten by the players in the locker room.
“It definitely caused some conversations in the locker room, and I think healthy ones between guys," Morse said. "It’s one of those things that was incredibly unfortunate for both parties, and I just hope in the end that both parties find some peace in this and it sorts itself out.”
Tight end Quintin Morris hurt himself and limped off the field early in practice on Monday. Others not practicing were tackle Tommy Doyle, wide receivers Isaiah McKenzie and Tanner Gentry, tight end O.J. Howard, defensive tackles Eli Ankou and Tim Settle, and cornerback Tre White.
Cut before practice were defensive backs Josh Thomas and Jordan Miller, defensive end Daniel Joseph, wide receiver Neil Pau’u, and offensive linemen Tanner Owen and Jacob Capra.
