Bills year in review: safety grades -

What was supposed to be the best safety unit in the NFL in 2022 quickly turned to disappointment for the Bills when Micah Hyde was ruled out for the year after just two games. Hyde’s counterpart, Jordan Poyer, showed his grit the remainder of the season but the safety unit could never fully recover. Damar Hamlin was tasked with playing alongside Poyer and did an admirable job, but after his cardiac arrest late in the season, the Bills were forced to trot out a suboptimal unit of special teams players to fill the void.

Here are my grades for the 2022 Bills safeties:

Jordan Poyer
Games Started: 14
Games Played: 14
PFF Grade: 65.7
PFF Rank: 49^th of 89
Grade: B

Analysis: Jordan Poyer was a model of consistency for the Bills entire secondary. Although he started to show his age in 2022, he was the general of the Bills defense and his mere presence boosted the unit’s overall play. It was no coincidence the Bills were 13-1 when Poyer started.

Jordan Poyer’s season:

-Played on final year of contract
-Hyperextended elbow in camp
-Fractured two ribs
-Drove 15 hours to play in KC
-Played with a torn meniscus

The Bills were 13-1 in games he played

Don’t ever question his toughness or value in Buffalo. pic.twitter.com/TzDCWPij8u
— Dan Fetes (@danfetes) January 23, 2023

Damar Hamlin
Games Started: 13
Games Played: 15
PFF Grade: 61.4
PFF Rank: 62^nd of 89
Grade: C+

Analysis: It was Damar Hamlin who was tasked with filling the shoes of Micah Hyde in the third week of the season and he played well enough to be a low-end starter in the league before collapsing versus the Bengals late in the regular season. It was reported that he will play football again, and that would be a big boost for the Bills, especially if Poyer leaves in free agency.

Jaquan Johnson
Games Started: 3
Games Played: 18
PFF Grade: 50.5
PFF Rank: Not enough defensive snaps
Grade: D

Analysis: Jaquan Johnson was predominately a special teams guy but did start three games for the Bills as injuries started to pile up. According to PFF, Johnson’s pass coverage skills were the worst amongst all Bills safeties.

Dean Marlowe
Games Started: 3
Games Played: 6
PFF Grade: 53.9
PFF Rank: 81^st of 89
Grade: C-

Analysis: Dean Marlowe was traded from Atlanta to Buffalo for secondary depth mid-season. His main role was special teams. Due to injuries, Marlowe was forced to start the last three games of the season and though he did intercept a pass versus the Dolphins in the playoffs, Marlowe showed that the absence of Hyde and Hamlin was difficult for the secondary to overcome.

Micah Hyde
Games Started: 2
Games Played: 2
PFF Grade: 68.4
PFF Rank: Not enough defensive snaps
Grade: B

Analysis: Micah Hyde played only two games with the Bills this season before going down with a neck injury. His loss was felt.

Bills safety Micah Hyde said that his neck issue is something that he's been dealing with for many years, but that the injury during the Titans game led to the surgery.

Hyde: "It's something that scared me that I didn't think it was possible. And then it happened."
— Alaina Getzenberg (@agetzenberg) October 26, 2022

Cam Lewis
Games Started: 1
Games Played: 15
PFF Grade: 50.9
PFF Rank: Not enough defensive snaps
Grade: D

Analysis: Cam Lewis was on the Bills roster mainly for his special teams play. He started one game this season for an injured Jordan Poyer versus Minnesota with little success. Other than that, Lewis saw little time in the Bills secondary except for the Bengals playoff loss when Dean Marlowe went down.

Siran Neal
Games Started: 0
Games Played: 18
PFF Grade: 59.8
PFF Rank: Not enough defensive snaps
Grade: N/A

Analysis: Siran Neal is a Bills special teams standout and took 68 snaps in the defensive secondary this season—mainly in garbage time.