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The Buffalo Bills are expected to lose a big part of their secondary as safety Micah Hyde is headed to free agency, and the team could be looking for an eventual replacement in the with a versatile prospect in the NFL Draft.
Katherine Fitzgerald of the Buffalo News reported that the Bills held a meeting with Fresno State and Oregon safety Evan Williams at the Senior Bowl. Though Williams is expected to be a Day 3 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, Fitzgerald noted that his versatility could be a good fit for the Bills and give him a chance to grow into the eventual replacement for Hyde.
Big Season for Ducks Star
Williams played for Fresno State for four years before finishing his collegiate career with the Oregon Ducks, where he turned heads with a strong season in 2023. The 6-foot-1 Williams made 82 total tackles with 4.5 sacks, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Williams told Fitzgerald that he was able to meet with the Bills’ coaching staff, though it was only a brief conversation.
Oregon SAF Evan Williams with good coverage. Positioning and pass breakup! 💪🏾
“I was able to talk to their scout – a couple of those scouts – on Monday, when I first came and so that was a good little conversation I got to have,” Williams said. “It’s quick. It’s a little 10-minute interview, and then you’re on to the next, but, yeah, just having that time to sit down and get a face-to-face in is really valuable.”
Williams added that he felt like a good fit in Buffalo given his ability to play a range of positions. As Fitzgerald noted, the Bills have placed a high value on defensive backs who can play across positions.
“Being able to, if they need me, when I’ll go down in the box, make plays, or they needed me to be a single high safety, having that range to cover the field,” Williams said. “I think that versatility really serves to my advantage, being able to kind of just stick me in any position and have me execute.”
Micah Hyde’s Uncertain Future in Buffalo
Hyde has been a key part of the turnaround in Buffalo, joining the team in 2017 and helping to break a 17-year playoff drought in his first year. He signed at the same time as fellow safety Jordan Poyer, forming an All-Pro duo that helped establish the Bills’ defense as one of the best in the league.
After the Bills bowed out of the playoffs with a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round, Hyde said he was not sure what his future would hold and hinted that he could be considering retirement.
“Every year when you lose, you wake up the next day and you’re filled with so much frustration because you weren’t able to get it done,” Hyde said, via Mark Gaughan of the Buffalo News. “This morning I woke up and I’m like, ‘Wow, that was a run. That was an amazing run we went on.’ I’m forever grateful for this team, the hard work and the resilience this team has showed. I just have no idea what the future holds right now. I’m going to sit down, maybe in a couple weeks or something, and talk to the wife and talk to the family. But we’ll see. I’m in no rush, no rush at all.”
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Bills Linked to ‘Versatile’ Safety as Potential Micah Hyde Replacement