{"id":203566,"date":"2024-12-05T12:39:25","date_gmt":"2024-12-05T17:39:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=203566"},"modified":"2024-12-05T12:39:25","modified_gmt":"2024-12-05T17:39:25","slug":"bills-sign-micah-hyde-buffalo-defense-lineup-2024-nfl-playoffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/12\/05\/bills-sign-micah-hyde-buffalo-defense-lineup-2024-nfl-playoffs\/","title":{"rendered":"Bills Sign Micah Hyde: Predicting Buffalo Defense&#8217;s Playoff Lineup"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Buffalo Bills signed two-time All-Pro safety Micah Hyde to the practice squad on Wednesday. Head coach Sean McDermott utilized extreme caution when discussing how quickly the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/08\/01\/micah-hyde-return-buffalo-bills-injury-crisis\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">longtime fan favorite<\/a> could rejoin the team&#8217;s active roster.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Just to set expectations, Micah is in a practice squad role,&#8221; McDermott <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/story\/_\/id\/42776342\/safety-micah-hyde-re-signs-bills-starts-practice-squad\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">told reporters<\/a>. &#8220;We are fully confident in Taylor Rapp, Damar Hamlin, Cole Bishop, Kareem Jackson. They&#8217;ve all been doing a real good job for us in the roles that they are currently in. They&#8217;re going to stay in those roles and Micah is in a practice squad role, so good to have him back and his family as well.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Hyde spent the past seven years as a starting safety for the Bills. The 2017 Pro Bowl selection teamed with Jordan Poyer to form one of the NFL&#8217;s best tandems as the position. While Poyer left in free agency to sign with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/dolphins\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Miami Dolphins<\/a>, Hyde <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/04\/18\/hyde-hinting-retirement-amid-rumors\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">contemplated retirement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Was fun hearing all the different stories from <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Bills?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Bills<\/a> players when they saw Micah Hyde back in the building<\/p>\n<p>Most were pretty surprised<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Billsmafia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Billsmafia<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ZmVaKgWLdm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/ZmVaKgWLdm<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Thad Brown (@thadbrown7) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/thadbrown7\/status\/1864454786415751286?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">December 4, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The 33-year-old Ohio native confirmed this will be his final on-field season, but hinted he may join Buffalo&#8217;s coaching staff in the future.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;So, listen, I&#8217;m here to help,&#8221; Hyde said. &#8220;I left my ego in San Diego. Like I said, the goal has always been to bring a championship back here and that&#8217;s always going to be the goal. Until that happens, you guys probably going to be tired of me, because after this season and I truly retire, maybe you might see me doing something else here until we get a championship.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The Bills (10-2) are back on the field Sunday when they visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/rams\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Los Angeles Rams<\/a> (6-6).<\/p>\n<h2>Micah Hyde Rejoins Bills; Projecting Buffalo&#8217;s Defensive Starters in Playoffs<\/h2>\n<h3>Defensive Ends: Greg Rousseau and A.J. Epenesa<\/h3>\n<p>Von Miller&#8217;s production has fallen off a cliff since he came back from a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/news\/bills-olb-von-miller-suspended-four-games-for-violating-league-s-personal-conduct-policy\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">four-game suspension<\/a> for a violation of the league&#8217;s personal conduct policy. The future Hall of Famer recorded three sacks in four games before the ban, but just one in four appearances since his return.<\/p>\n<p>Miller&#8217;s ineffectiveness makes this prediction a lot easier. Rousseau and Epenesa are far more well-rounded players at this stage of their careers, and they&#8217;ve held their own rushing the passer. They&#8217;ve combined for 11.5 sacks to pace the Buffalo defense.<\/p>\n<h3>Defensive Tackles: Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones<\/h3>\n<p>Oliver and Jones haven&#8217;t lived up to their typically high standards this season, which is one of the main reasons the Bills have struggled to stop the run consistently. That said, they won&#8217;t be replaced by the current reserve options of Austin Johnson, Quinton Jefferson or Jordan Phillips.<\/p>\n<p>There could be some intrigue after DeWayne Carter is activated from injured reserve, though. Carter was putting together a promising rookie campaign before suffering a wrist injury. If he picks up where he left off, he could push for a more prominent role in the postseason.<\/p>\n<h3>Linebackers: Terrel Bernard and Matt Milano<\/h3>\n<p>Milano looked rusty during Sunday&#8217;s win over the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/49ers\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">San Francisco 49ers<\/a>, and rightfully so. It marked the linebacker&#8217;s first appearance since October 2023. He sat out the remainder of last season with a leg injury. He then missed the start of the current campaign after suffering a bicep injury in training camp.<\/p>\n<p>The Bills will slowly ramp up Milano&#8217;s workload with hope he&#8217;s back in top form for the playoffs. Meanwhile, Bernard will continue to carry a heavy burden in the middle of the defense. He&#8217;s been one of the league&#8217;s most valuable defenders during his running mate&#8217;s long absence.<\/p>\n<h3>Cornerbacks: Rasul Douglas, Christian Benford and Taron Johnson<\/h3>\n<p>No surprises here. The trio looked like one of the best corner groups entering the season and they&#8217;ve lived up to that premier billing. Thanks to them, Buffalo ranks tied for fourth in yards allowed per pass attempt (6.1) and second in yards allowed per completion (8.9).<\/p>\n<p>Buffalo also has great depth at the position. Cam Lewis is fifth on the team in total tackles (55) as a dime corner and special-teams ace, while Ja&#8217;Marcus Ingram and Kaiir Elam have both played well on the boundary when called upon. Besides quarterback, corner may be the team&#8217;s biggest strength.<\/p>\n<h3>Safeties: Taylor Rapp and Damar Hamlin<\/h3>\n<p>It doesn&#8217;t feel like the Bills signed Hyde to start. At least not if both Rapp and Hamlin are healthy. The duo hasn&#8217;t been spectacular and they each have their limitations, but they have mastered the team&#8217;s defensive scheme and that&#8217;s all McDermott wants on the back end.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, Hyde seems like insurance in case either starter gets hurt. Bishop missed camp time with an injury and has played just 18.5 percent of the defensive snaps as a rookie. Jackson has yet to see the field while spending most of the year on Buffalo&#8217;s practice squad.<\/p>\n<p>The Bills would be taking a significant risk starting either of those reserves in a playoff setting. In turn, bringing in Hyde now gives him five weeks to get into game shape. He&#8217;ll likely enter the postseason as the No. 3 safety.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\u201cPeople keep saying welcome back, but it\u2019s more like welcome home\u201d &#8211; Micah Hyde <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/BillsMafia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#BillsMafia<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WKBW?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@WKBW<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qxGFAVxOIl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/qxGFAVxOIl<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Matthew Bov\u00e9 (@Matt_Bove) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Matt_Bove\/status\/1864386365732900884?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">December 4, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Hyde will probably be activated from the practice squad for the final few games of the regular season. He&#8217;ll see some snaps in obvious passing situations just to get a feel for the speed of the game. From there, he&#8217;ll wait to see if his number is called in the playoffs.<\/p>\n<p><em>Main Image: Kirby Lee &#8211; USA Today Sports<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Buffalo Bills signed Micah Hyde to their practice squad on Wednesday. Will the safety join the defense&#8217;s starting lineup for the playoffs?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5175,"featured_media":203631,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,54],"tags":[7705,7357,1944,1159],"class_list":["post-203566","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bills","category-editorials","tag-buffalo-bills-news","tag-buffalo-bills-roster","tag-micah-hyde","tag-sean-mcdermott"],"modified_by":"Isaac Zuniga","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203566","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5175"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=203566"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203566\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":203632,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203566\/revisions\/203632"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/203631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=203566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=203566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=203566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}