Days into training camp last summer, Bills linebacker Tremaine Edmunds was asked a direct question about teammates and safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer.
"Are Jordan and Micah the most underrated safeties in the NFL?"
Edmunds smiled. "Those guys are awesome," he said. "Those guys make plays all over the field, it speaks for itself. They are going to do their job, I love playing with those guys."
We'll take that as a yes.
Entering his fourth season with the Bills, Hyde is getting some recognition for, well, not being recognized enough. This week, he was named the Bills' most underrated player by Pro Football Focus, which selected a player from each team.
PFF could have just as easily selected Poyer. Hyde and Poyer signed on the same day as free agents and were the first free agent additions of the Sean McDermott era.
Wrote PFF's Ben Lindsey: "Hyde drew some accolades (second-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowl appearance) in his first season with Buffalo back in 2017, but his body of work since joining the Bills suggests that we’re still underrating him when discussing the league’s best safeties. Over the last three seasons in Buffalo, Hyde ranks tied for fifth among all players at the safety position in overall grade (90.7). The move to free safety has pulled the best from Hyde after a solid, albeit unspectacular, start to his career with the Green Bay Packers in more of a slot/box role. He now serves as half of one of the better safety tandems in the NFL with teammate Jordan Poyer."
Hyde has become a top-five safety (or close to that level by almost any measure), but without a name that's known by the wide NFL audience outside of Western New York and the AFC East.
Here are five examples – some big, some small – of why the Bills and their fans appreciate Hyde:
Teamwork
The Bengals got the ball to start the third quarter and were trailing the Bills, 14-0, in Week 3. Cincinnati needed to get some momentum coming out of the locker room. On the Bengals' first possession, they moved the ball near midfield.
On a third-and-6 play, quarterback Andy Dalton lined up in the shotgun. Kevin Johnson – in his third game with the Bills after signing in the offseason – was in as the nickel corner. Johnson lined up on the left side. Before the snap, Hyde ran up to the line of scrimmage and moved Johnson to the other side of the formation. Johnson got a sack on the play and the Bengals were forced to punt. The Bills won, 21-17.
"Kevin is kind of new to the nickel position and we had a call that, that maybe he didn't quite have some clarity on," defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said. "And Micah did a tremendous job of getting him lined up and really talking him through a little bit of what he had to do. Maybe Micah doesn't get the credit he necessarily deserves or Jordan. They do a great job of quarterbacking our back end and our secondary and they've been doing it for the last couple of years we've been together and it's needed."
Momentum changer
The Bills trailed 13-0 to the New England Patriots at New Era Field in Week 5 and New England took over at its own 5-yard line early in the second quarter. Sixteen plays, 93 yards and eight minutes later, the Patriots' drive ended when Hyde intercepted Tom Brady in the end zone on a pass intended for Julian Edelman. The Bills would turn that interception into a field goal to cut the margin to 13-3 and then would miss a field goal at the end of the quarter. But they were back in the game in what would become a 16-10 loss.
As the teams were leaving the field, Patriots coach Bill Belichick caught up to Hyde. The exchange is in the video.
Film study
With less than two minutes left in a Week 7 victory against the Dolphins, Miami attempted an onside kick. The ball popped into the air and Hyde snagged it and went untouched into the end zone for the first onside kick returned for a touchdown in the NFL since 2010. Hyde said he had seen on film that Miami liked to execute its onside kicks to the left and his role was "catcher" on the left side so he thought the ball might be heading in his direction.
"He's such a professional, and it's been a joy to watch him develop since he's come to Buffalo, and the impact he's made on a day-to-day basis," coach Sean McDermott said. "So, really those are the habits we're trying to get our young players every year, the new wave of young players, first, second year players to understand that you have to earn it in this league, and when that opportunity comes, you've got to be ready."
Leader and spokesman
The Bills bounced back from a disappointing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles with a 24-9 win against Washington to move to 6-2 in Week 9. The Bills' wins were against the Jets, Giants, Bengals, Titans, Dolphins and Redskins – teams that were a combined 8-39. Buffalo was 6-2 for the first time since 1993.
"As long as we continue to win, I’m not too worried about the strength of schedule, or any of that," Hyde said afterward. "We have a goal this year, it starts each and every week with getting a win. We got that this week and as long as we continue to do that, you guys can continue to say that ‘strength of schedule’ BS, it is what it is ...
"I’m done apologizing for wins. We’re 6-2, this time last year we were 2-6.”
McDermott, when asked about Hyde's comments, said, "When Micah speaks, he's got a lot of respect in the locker room and he's one of our leaders."
Trust
Just four plays into a highly anticipated and high-stakes game against the Patriots in December, Hyde got his hands on the ball. Jordan Poyer came from behind to punch the ball loss from running back Rex Burkhead, who had caught a screen pass from Brady. Hyde picked up the ball and returned it 31 yards to New England's 31-yard line. The Bills settled for a field goal and led, 3-0, a rare advantage against the Patriots in Foxboro.
While the turnover came after an 18-yard gain, Hyde and Poyer made a play together. Just as they seemingly always do.
And though they often look like they are lined up completely out of position for the play that is eventually run, somehow they know where to be.
"I think they are just really smart football players," Frazier said. "They understand the scheme and they understand what their responsibilities are and they don’t jeopardize their responsibilities within the scheme with their disguise and that comes from understanding what they are allowed to do within the scheme but also confidence about what I’m doing and also understanding what quarterbacks are looking at."
Frazier has said he trusts Hyde and Poyer and he relies on them to help provide the coaches with insight into what is happening on the field.
"They know the scheme as well as we do in some areas," Frazier said. "When they see things, for example, 'Hey coach, can we maybe take a look at this or take a look at that,' I’m listening. Probably eight out of 10 times, I’m going to say yes, go ahead and do it. They’ve earned that trust because of some of the things they’ve done for our defense."
Days before the game against the Patriots, Belichick lauded the tandem and noted their penchant for misdirection.
“They complement each other very well. They do a very good job with their disguise and presnap looks. They make it hard on the quarterback,” Belichick told reporters. “Sometimes they give false keys, and start one way and go another way, so that as a quarterback, or as a coach, even if you’re looking at the game and you see something, and you think that’s what it is and your eyes go somewhere else, but then it starts one way and then it goes somewhere else, and then you’ve misread it. ...
"And so, you think they’re going to be one place, but they recognize it, and they’re quicker than you think they’re going to be and are in the way of the play."
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