Micah Hyde has re-signed with the Bills.
On, Wednesday, the Buffalo Bills announced that they are bringing veteran safety Micah Hyde back to Western New York. He is joining the practice squad for now, replacing the released WR Deon Cain.
Over the offseason, the Buffalo Bills parted ways with more than a handful of veterans as they overhauled their roster and looked to be sold-in on a youth movement. However, one veteran they did not intend to cut ties with was safety Micah Hyde. The 11-year safety, who had been a part of the Bills organization since 2017, simply let his contract expire.
Hyde had gone on record saying that if he chose to return to the game – something he could do at any time as he did not file retirement papers with the NFL – he could only see himself in Buffalo’s red-white-and-blue. On the flip side, Bills general manager Brandon Beane has been adamant about the fact that the communication lines with the All-Pro safety have always remained open and that he would be more than happy to entertain conversations about a Hyde reunion.
Now those phone lines have been disconnected and the conversations have ended because Hyde will be putting his phone in airplane mode as he boards a flight from California to Buffalo.
What teams had Micah Hyde played for?
Hyde originally began his career as a fifth-round draft pick of the Green Bay Packers. He joined the Bills as a free agent signing as one of Brandon Beane’s first moves as the Buffalo’s GM. Hyde excelled in Buffalo elevating his career immediately by getting his first All-Pro nod and first Pro Bowl selection in his first season as a Bill. That season was also the end of Buffalo’s 17-year playoff drought, making Hyde an immediate fan favorite as well as a leader in the locker room.
What is Micah Hyde’s injury history?
In 2022, Hyde suffered a season-ending injury in Week 2 when a tackle on a Miami XXXX caused a neck injury that required surgery. The chants of “23 in ‘23” began, led by Hyde’s wife who assured the Buffalo community that the safety’s career was not over. In fact, Buffalo opened his practice window so that he would be available to play had the Bills advanced to the championship round of the playoffs, but it wasn’t to be as Buffalo lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round.
In September 2023, Hyde made his return to play, starting in 14 of the Bills 17 games. He had a few scares along the way to recording 54 tackles, 7 pass deflections, and 2 interceptions in his return season. Hyde had a couple of stinger-injuries that became concerning due to the neck surgery the year before.
Micah Hyde considered retirement after the 2023 season
While he came back to play after each absence with the same aggressiveness as always, it became evident that the injuries were giving him something to at least pause and think about. When his contract expired in March, Hyde said he had things to think about when considering whether or not to hang up his cleats for good or make one more run at a championship that had eluded him his entire career. It looks like that thinking took him nine months and he has finally made the decision.
What can we expect from Micah Hyde with the Bills in 2024?
While he hasn’t played football in eleven months and he surely has some work to do to be “football ready,” there’s no doubt that Hyde will make an impact in the locker room as a veteran voice in the defensive backs room and a true depth player as the Bills are headed to their sixth straight playoff appearance in January.
Currently, Damar Hamlin has Hyde’s old spot, and while he isn’t Hyde, he does have the second-most tackles on the team at 41, along with five passes defensed, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery – numbers that rival Hyde’s from 2023. However, Hamlin’s backup is rookie Cole Bishop who is lacking in both experience and numbers. It’s obvious that Brandon Beane would like to have a little more confidence, a little more experience, and a much louder voice back there as the Bills head into the post season.
So Hyde joins the practice squad, not the active roster, and we will see how his ramp up goes toward the postseason. Hyde’s cleats aren’t hanging up just yet.