For five consecutive years, the safety position was a source of strength for the Bills. The duo of Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer was unbelievably talented and healthy, helping lead the Bills to several years of defensive dominance.

But 2022 brought uncertainty. Hyde suffered a season-ending injury in September, and the year was mired in both Poyer’s contract situation and an uncanny slew of injuries. On top of it, the Bills’ depth chart was exposed as the season went on, making for difficult decisions in the offseason.

Advertisement

Using the season-long grades from The Athletic’s film review, we’ve outlined individual grades and analysis of every 2022 player, along with recommendations for how the Bills should conduct their offseason business.

Follow the rest of the series here.

2022 safeties in review

Potential cap savings are approximate and less $800,000 for the contract that would replace it in the top 51. All contract information comes from Over The Cap.

Poyer shook off a training camp injury, started the 2022 season as an unbelievable asset on defense and helped lead the way with four turnovers in his first three games. His two-interception performance against the Ravens was a significant factor in the Bills’ comeback victory. And even when he wasn’t generating turnovers, he still remained a pivotal piece of limiting teams on the ground and through the air. But then, the injuries kept piling up.

After missing only two games in his first five years, Poyer missed five in 2022. He suffered six injuries in total — two elbow injuries (one in the summer and another midyear), a foot injury, an injury to the ribs, a knee injury and a concussion that ended his divisional playoff game early. He was well below his standard in the playoffs, registering grades of C-plus against the Dolphins and C-minus against the Bengals. The performances likely had something to do with the cumulative impact of the injuries, but the injuries and performance were a concerning sign for the long term. Regardless, Poyer remains a plus-starter for 2023 and will head to free agency.

2023 contract status: Unrestricted free agent

Once Hyde suffered his season-ending injury, Jaquan Johnson was supposed to be the player who took over in the starting lineup. But in Week 3 against the Dolphins when Poyer was also injured, he struggled significantly and some of his weaknesses helped lead to a loss. Johnson was replaced by Damar Hamlin in the lineup upon Poyer’s return, only to get two more chances in Week 5 and Week 9 after two other Poyer injuries. Johnson looked better against the Steelers but struggled once more against the Jets, and that was the end of his extended playing time on defense. The next week without Poyer, the Bills replaced Johnson in the lineup with converted cornerback Cam Lewis against the Vikings. Johnson remained a critical special teams player and one of their best in that capacity all year.

Advertisement

2023 contract status: Unrestricted free agent

* Out of respect to Damar Hamlin’s situation, his performance analysis is not included. Hamlin is signed through the 2024 season.

Players with fewer than 200 snaps

The Bills brought back Dean Marlowe for a minimal cost at the trade deadline but surprisingly kept him behind Johnson and Lewis. Even more confounding, Marlowe was a healthy scratch for four straight games from Week 13 through Week 16. He eventually got his chance in Week 18 and the playoffs after Hamlin’s unfortunate incident. Marlowe made some errors that contributed to the Bengals’ early lead and left the game with an injury.

2023 contract status: Unrestricted free agent

After the Johnson experiment didn’t work out in the starting lineup, the Bills tried Lewis against the Vikings and it went about as well as you would predict for an undersized cornerback making his inaugural start at safety. Lewis remained a central figure on special teams units, keeping him active, but he wasn’t their best on those units. A return to cornerback could be in the cards.

2023 contract status: Restricted free agent

It’s odd to put Hyde in the “fewer than 200 snaps” group, but that was a big part of the Bills’ story at safety last year. In his two games, Hyde continued the same high level of play the Bills have grown accustomed to and helped the Bills to two runaway victories. His loss was felt every week in the deep middle and in run support, as the Bills struggled with tackling in the secondary for much of the season. Now fully healthy and motivated for next season, Hyde likely will aim to make up for lost time in 2023.

2023 contract status: $10.57 million cap hit, signed through 2023
2023 dead cap if released: $7.04 million ($2.73 million in cap savings)

Jared Mayden spent two weeks on the Bills’ practice squad before being released after Week 8 and then returned to the team on the 53-man roster following the Bengals game in Week 17. Mayden was a healthy scratch all three games and will likely be a roster bubble player this summer.

Advertisement

2023 contract status: $940,000 cap hit, signed through 2025
2023 dead cap if released: $0 ($140,000 in cap savings)

Recommendations for 2023 offseason at safety

1. Monitor Jordan Poyer’s free agency closely

After speaking with The Athletic’s Tim Graham at the Pro Bowl, Poyer seems intent on hitting the free-agent market in mid-March. But that doesn’t mean it’s the end of his story in Buffalo. Bills general manager Brandon Beane left the door open to Poyer’s return, likely knowing that it would need to be a waiting game. The Bills aren’t likely to give Poyer a contract near the top of the safety market given his age (32 in April) and injury concerns, but they’ll likely register a semi-competitive baseline offer to get him back in Buffalo. If Poyer’s market doesn’t materialize the way he hopes, and the offers he gets are more in line with what the Bills can offer, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him return on a one- or two-year pact. But the Bills should not make an emotional decision, and they should bring him back only if the money is suitable for where Poyer is in his career. This very much remains a “to be continued” situation.

2. Move Christian Benford from cornerback to safety

This idea could have gone better for converted cornerback Cam Lewis, but Benford and Lewis are two very different players. Lewis was a nickel corner in a smaller body converting to safety out of team necessity. Benford would be a logical move for a player who took well to their zone principles as a boundary cornerback and showed a workable level of instincts in that different role. The Bills were quite happy with Benford last year and could try to find a way to get him on the field. At safety, he’d have a chance at a starting position either in 2023 or 2024, along with excellent size (6 foot 1, 205 pounds) and athleticism, while learning from one of the best in Hyde. There is untapped potential here with Benford. Both Hyde and Poyer began their careers as cornerbacks before shifting to safety and flourishing. Benford could be next with the Bills’ coaching.

3. Draft a safety within the first four rounds

Even if the Bills were to re-sign Poyer to a one-year deal and move Benford to safety, the team should still invest in another young safety at some point in the first four rounds this year. Much like Benford, the drafted safety would have the opportunity to work with Hyde and learn from one of the best free safeties in franchise history. And if Poyer came back, that would be double the opportunity. Regardless, the Bills need a plan for life after Hyde and Poyer, which could start in totality after the 2023 season. Safety is also a position where teams don’t need to force a pick in the first round to get a legitimate starting option. Using an earlier selection to build the depth and potentially get a starting option as quickly as 2023 would be a significant addition to their roster.

4. Re-sign Jaquan Johnson

Given how poorly he played in the starting lineup, this might be a slightly surprising recommendation. But Johnson wouldn’t be brought back to factor into the starting lineup, he would be back as their emergency fourth or fifth safety while also playing a pivotal role on special teams. The Bills could potentially lose quite a few of their core special teams players this offseason, but Johnson would be a cost-effective means to get one back. They can probably bring him back on a low-cost, one-year deal.

5. Don’t offer a restricted tender to Cam Lewis

This isn’t to say the Bills should do away with Lewis entirely, but his playing level was not worth the right of first refusal tender of $2.6 million for one season. The Bills should instead decline that option, make Lewis an unrestricted free agent and then see if they can bring him back on a veteran minimum contract to compete for a roster spot once again, but this time at cornerback.

Depth chart after proposed offseason

(Photo of Christian Benford: Mark Konezny / USA Today)

ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57k2pua29ha3xzfJFsZmlqX2aBcK7Un52apJ9ir6q4y6xkqJ6WqLKiv86nZKyZlprBqrHSaA%3D%3D