Bills Add Versatile Ex-Steelers Safety After Injury to Micah Hyde

Tre Norwood Comes to Bills via San Francisco

As the Bills’ official website noted, Norwood came to Buffalo after being released by the San Francisco 49ers earlier this season.

“Norwood was a seventh round selection by the Steelers in 2021 and played two season in Pittsburgh before signing on the 49ers’ practice squad in September,” the report noted. “He was released by San Francisco on Oct. 24. Norwood was a four-year player at the University of Oklahoma (2017-2020).”

Norwood appeared in 10 games for the Steelers last season, making 16 total tackles. As Steelers Now reported, Norwood had some experience at other positions in the secondary in his rookie season in 2021, including a start against the Bills in a season-opening win.

“During his rookie season in Pittsburgh, Norwood played 388 snaps as a rookie which included as a starter at the slot cornerback position in the season opener at Buffalo,” the report noted. “He also started in a game against the Chargers at free safety in 2021.”

Micah Hyde Injured Against Bengals

The Bills could face a bit of uncertainty at safety after Hyde was hurt on Sunday, taking a blindside hit from Bengals offensive lineman Cordell Volson and falling hard to the turf. He left the game diagnosed with a stinger.

It was not clear if Hyde would be in danger of missing the team’s upcoming game against the Denver Broncos, though he would have an extra day to recover as the team’s face off on Monday night. The Bills are expected to rebound, with Heavy projections powered by Quarter4 giving them a 78% chance of winning.

The Bills suffered other injuries to their secondary, head coach Sean McDermott gave reporters an update on Monday.

“Christian (Benford) tweaked his hamstring so he got pulled out, and then Dane (Jackson) at the end of the game as well. Not his hamstring, but something else,” McDermott said, via AtoZ Sports.

The Bills are already missing a number of key players on defense, losing cornerback Tre’Davious White to a season-ending torn Achilles and placing linebacker Matt Milano and defensive tackle DaQuan Jones on injured reserve.

The Bills defense has not registered an interception since a Week 4 win over the Miami Dolphins, and McDermott said they need to do a better job of pressuring opposing quarterbacks.

“It’s making plays on the ball, and when you’re talking about the defense, it’s are we putting enough pressure on the quarterback?” McDermott said. “Usually turnovers happen either by just a poor decision by a quarterback, but more times than not, it’s when you can affect the quarterback, and the quarterback is getting affected, and the rush and the coverage is working together. I didn’t think we were able to affect [Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow] enough.”