Safety Micah Hyde re-signs with Bills and starts on practice squad

ORCHARD PARK, NY – Throughout the 2024 season, Micah Hyde’s locker with the Buffalo Bills remained unused and his number unassigned. On Wednesday — 13 weeks into the season — the veteran safety returned to the team as coach Sean McDermott said he would be re-signed to the practice squad.

Coach Sean McDermott made it clear on Wednesday that Hyde will not be in the starting lineup initially and that they will take his role day by day.

“Just to set expectations, Micah is taking over the practice squad role,” McDermott said. “We have full confidence in Taylor Rapp, Damar Hamlin, Cole Bishop and Kareem Jackson. They have all done really good jobs for us in the roles they currently hold. They will remain in those roles and Micah is on the practice squad and it’s nice to have him and his family back.”

He became a free agent after his contract with the Bills expired after the 2023 season. Hyde, now in his 13th season, openly considered retirement and remained without a contract this season. The former Bills captain for three seasons made it clear that if he were to return, he would only return to the Bills.

The Bills drafted safety Cole Bishop in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft and signed safety Taylor Rapp to an extension in the offseason. Rapp and 2021 sixth-round pick Damar Hamlin have been starters on defense all season.

The Bills’ defense is tied for second in takeaways (24) and leads the league in lowest total QBR allowed by opponents (50.4).

Hyde spent the last seven seasons partnering current Miami Dolphins safety Jordan Poyer, starting the most games by a safety duo (92) during that time. Poyer was released by Buffalo before free agency. Both players had signed with the Bills in free agency after Sean McDermott was hired as the team’s head coach in 2017.

McDermott is keeping expectations for Hyde minimal, saying, “I say that respectfully, very little,” when asked what he expects from Hyde upon his return.

“We’re in a good position and have a lot of confidence in the guys who have played there all season and both have done a good job,” McDermott said. “…I say that very little because it’s all about managing expectations, right? Very little because you come in and play and help. No, let’s just take it one day at a time and No. 1: Let’s make sure everyone understands what their role is right now and we’ll just see.

“…It’s always about the team and never about one person, and in this case Micah doesn’t want this case to be about him.”

An injury in Week 2 of the 2022 season caused the 33-year-old Hyde to undergo neck surgery that ultimately kept him out for the remainder of the season. In 2023, Stingers were a problem for him towards the end of the year as he missed three regular season games, but he fought his way back onto the field to finish the season and the playoffs.

The veteran shared that he was thinking about retiring after the 2023 season and said during the Bills’ locker room cleanout that he would not rush to make that decision but would discuss it with his family.

The 2017 Pro Bowl selection is now the third most experienced player on the Bills roster (behind Jackson and Von Miller) and adds a leadership element to the roster.

“(Hyde) could go to the bench at corner and be the president of the bench just as easily as he could be the captain of the Buffalo Bills,” McDermott said. “So from a leadership standpoint, he has a unique way about him as a person, his presence and the way he adapts very well to people and his environment.”

Hyde found a home in Buffalo after playing the first four years of his career with the Green Bay Packers, who selected him in the fifth round of the 2013 draft. He recorded 16 interceptions with Buffalo and 42 passes defended. He was also an important team leader.