Micah

Hyde

Hyde started his career as a fifth-round pick out of Iowa. The former Hawkeye spent his first four years with the Packers, where he started in 33 of 63 games played before signing with the Bills in the 2017 offseason. Once in Buffalo, Hyde evolved into a full-time starter, starting all 95 games he appeared in with the Bills while racking up 16 interceptions, three fumble recoveries and two Second-Team All-Pro nods. The veteran safety never took the field in 2024 but did sign with the Bills’ practice squad in early December.

Hyde, 33, who played for Buffalo from 2017 to 2023, has a chance to join the team for a championship run after deciding not to retire or sign elsewhere this fall. The two-time Second-team All-Pro — who has struggled mightily with neck injuries during his NFL career — totaled 54 tackles and two interceptions last season. He’ll join a Buffalo secondary graded by PFF as the league’s 19th best.

Hyde is once again mulling retirement but affirms “it’s Bills or retire.” He is reportedly in no rush to make a decision and the team has players in place should Hyde choose to hang up his cleats. He remains a capable coverage defender and was targeted at the position’s eighth-lowest rate last year (6.0%), ranked among safeties with at least 500 coverage snaps.

According to Beane, the team would be open to bringing back Hyde, who is currently a free agent, “if he decides to play.” The veteran safety, who has his last seven seasons with the Bills, has played 11 years in the league and will be 33 at the start of this season. The two-time Second-team All-Pro totaled 54 tackles and two interceptions last season while earning a PFF coverage grade of 67.2. We haven’t heard much about Hyde this offseason, but it’s possible we’ll learn more about his decision to play closer to training camp.

None of this comes as much of a surprise. Both Hyde and Epenesa have missed practice all week with injuries that kept them out last week as well, and when Leonard Fournette was elevated off the practice squad, it looked likely that Ty Johnson’s injury would also keep him out this week. With DT Jordan Phillips on the IR, today will be the first game that DT Poona Ford is active for.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott said it’s “is not looking like he’s going to make it” onto the field against the Chargers. Hyde suffered a neck injury in the first half of the Bills’ Week 14 win over the Chiefs and then missed last week’s game against Dallas. It now looks like he’ll miss at least one more week as the Bills continue to be cautious with him since he missed almost all of last season after undergoing surgery on his neck. With Easton Stick at quarterback for the Chargers, the Bills should be able to manage with Taylor Rapp at safety, but every win is crucial for their playoff hopes.

Both Hyde and DE A.J. Epenesa (ribs) were ruled out earlier in the week, so there are no surprises here; however, both are big losses with the Cowboys offense coming to town. The only saving grace for the Bills is that the winds are expected to gust up to 30 mph on Sunday, which could hurt the passing games and make them miss Hyde a bit less. Taylor Rapp will fill in for Hyde while Kingsley Jonathan should see more snaps in the Bills defensive end rotation with Epensa out. The Bills’ other inactives are: OG Germain Idefi, OT Alec Anderson, and DT Poona Ford.

Hyde suffered a neck injury last week against the Chiefs — the latest in a long string of neck injuries for the standout safety. His absence should create a slightly better matchup for Dak Prescott and the Dallas pass catchers this week. Taylor Rapp should start for Buffalo in Hyde’s place.

Hyde was injured on back-to-back plays in the second quarter against the Chiefs and did not return to the game. Given Hyde’s extensive history with neck injuries, including missing almost all of last season after undergoing surgery on his neck, there is some concern about his availability for a crucial Sunday game against the Cowboys. Taylor Rapp stepped in for Hyde last weekend and would likely do the same if Hyde were to miss this weekend’s game.

Hyde has been battling a stinger during the season and also missed almost all of last year after undergoing surgery on his neck, so this is a concern for the Bills. He got hurt late in the second quarter, but the Bills used a timeout so he could get looked at by the trainers without missing a play. On the next play, he made a tackle and his neck backwards, and he dropped to the turf in pain. His absence would be a big one for Buffalo against Patrick Mahomes.