During the Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher College on Tuesday, August 2, safety Jordan Poyer went down with an elbow injury after a collision at practice.
Boston Globe’s Senior NFL writer Ben Volin didn’t like what he saw. “Tough end to Bills practice, with key S Jordan Poyer suffering a potentially serious arm injury,” Volin tweeted.
“Poyer in tons of pain off to the side,” WKBW reporter Matthew Bove tweeted. “He was grabbing his wrist/forearm. Looked like he got hit by either James Cook or an OL on a run play up the middle. He’s still on sideline being tended to by trainers after a few minutes.”
“After a few more minutes, Poyer is heading back to the locker room with trainers. He was visibly in a lot of pain. He was grabbing his left hand/forearm,” Bove noted.
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AP Sports writer John Wawrow reported that the All-Pro needed assistance to exit the field. Wawrow tweeted, “Poyer stopped beneath the tunnel to await a cart. Heavily holding his left arm. Gets in the front seat and driven off.”
A close-up look at Poyer coming off the field for the #Bills. Great 👀 @anthony88962513
About an hour later, Bove shared the following update: “Poyer just left the locker room. He appeared to have a sling on his left elbow. Tough to tell for sure because he had a t-shirt over it.”
At around 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared a major update concerning Poyer’s status. Following an MRI, Schefter tweeted, “Bills’ All-Pro safety Jordan Poyer hyperextended his elbow today and will miss what one source described as ‘a few weeks.’ Poyer is expected to be back for the start of the regular season.”
Before Poyer went down, fellow Bills’ All-Pro safety Micah Hyde was also carted off in the front seat after suffering g a hip/groin injury on Friday, July 29.
“Hyde down after dropping an INT in 11-on-11,” Spectrum News 1 reporter Jon Scott tweeted. “Poyer immediately signaled for trainers as Hyde took helmet off while face down.”
The team captain missed Saturday’s practice but was able to return to training camp on Monday in a limited role.
SB Nation’s Matt Warren reported of Hyde August 1, “He didn’t participate in team drills and was limited to individual work, but he was on the field. Following the initial part of practice, he stayed on the exercise bike off to the side.”
Poyer Brought His Agent to Training Camp as He Pushes for a New Extension
Training camp with @J_poyer21
The 31-year-old’s injury couldn’t have come at a worse time considering he’s in the midst of campaigning for a new extension. Poyer hired high-powered agent Drew Rosenhaus in early April, who went public about his client’s plea for a new deal and his wife, Rachel Bush, strongly advocated for her husband’s pay raise on Twitter.
However, nearly five months have passed and no new deal has been signed. While Poyer’s active presence at camp is a great sign that he won’t hold out on playing until a new deal is reached, it was a surprise to see he brought Rosenhaus with him to St. John’s.
“My agent is here,” Poyer told the media last week. “I know him, and Brandon Beane are talking things through. I’m just excited to be back out here playing football, the game with my teammates. It’s been a journey but I’m here right now. I’m excited to play football and to continue to get better.”
When Poyer was asked how people should take his agent’s presence at camp, he didn’t have a clear answer. “It’s hard to say,” Poyer said. “I’ve got to talk to them some more. See where everything’s going.”
In March 2020, the Bills signed Poyer to a two-year extension worth up to $19.5 million with $8.5 million guaranteed, per Spotrac.com. As it stands, Poyer has a $10.7 cap hit for the 2022 NFL season, the sixth-highest on the team, and is set to make $5.6 million in base salary during the final year of his contract.
Poyer & Hyde are Listed as 2 of the Top-12 Best Safeties in the NFL
GettyCam Newton #1 of the Carolina Panthers deleivers a pass over pressure by Micah Hyde #23 of the Buffalo Bills in the fourth quarter of the game at Highmark Stadium on December 19, 2021.
The Bills enter the 2022 NFL season with incredibly high expectations, a true Super Bowl contender, and a huge part of that stems from the strength of Buffalo’s defense. Earlier this month, USA Today’s Doug Farrar ranked Hyde as the 12th best safety in the league, as Poywer as No. 1
“Hyde ranked seventh on our safety list last year after a 2020 season in which he allowed 15 catches on 27 targets for 143 yards, 46 yards after the catch, one touchdown, one interception, and an opponent passer rating of 67.4,” Farrar wrote. “In 2021, Hyde was more opportunistic and more vulnerable, which puts him a bit below where he was before.”
If you know, you know. @J_poyer21 @micah_hyde #BillsMafia
Hyde, a former fifth-round pick from the 2013 NFL Draft, is “one-half of the NFL’s best safety tandem (along with Poyer,)” Farrar continued. As for Poyer, he “was effective all over the field, but he was especially effective when playing deep… And as a blitzer, Poyer has a great knack for working through open gaps and getting to the quarterback. That’s how he acquired three sacks and nine total pressures last season.”
“Poyer is the NFL’s best safety in deep and intermediate coverage, and he’s better at everything else than you may think,” Farrar stated. “That’s why he’s at the top of this list, and No. 1 here really isn’t close.”
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Bills’ Safety Carted Off Field With ‘Potentially Serious’ Injury: Report