Orchard Park, N.Y. — Jordan Poyer is ready, if called upon by the Buffalo Bills.
On Saturday, Damar Hamlin was placed on the injured reserve with a pectoral injury. The injury, which occurred at practice earlier in the week, leaves the Bills thin at safety. Behind starters Taylor Rapp and Cole Bishop, Buffalo’s other options on the 53-man roster include rookie Jordan Hancock and special teams standout Sam Franklin Jr.
Enter Poyer, the former first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl safety currently on the Bills’ practice squad. After practice on Saturday, Poyer opened up on what could be his opportunity to show that he still has plenty left in the gas tank.
Before talking about potentially playing as early as Monday against the Atlanta Falcons, Poyer sent his well-wishes to Damar Hamlin.
“First and foremost, you never want to see anyone get injured,” Poyer told Syracuse.com. “Big fan of D-Ham, A great friend of mine. Somebody who I played a lot of football with.”
As for potentially suiting up for Buffalo, Poyer knows he can help if he’s elevated from the practice squad or signed to the 53-man roster.
“I feel like I played a lot of football in my life,” Poyer said. “So, you know that is the case, I’ll be ready to play out there and play how I play.”
The 2025 season has been a humbling one for Poyer. After a disastrous stint with the Miami Dolphins in 2024, Poyer made it known that he would love to end his career with the Bills. That opportunity came at the end of August when Buffalo signed the 34-year-old to their practice squad.
During his first stint in Buffalo, Poyer became a household name nationally and was regarded as one of the league’s top safeties. Returning in a practice squad capacity was admittedly humbling for Poyer after All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods.
“Super grateful for that opportunity to be able to be someone that the other guys can have conversations with... I’m just extremely grateful for (Brandon) Beane being able to bring me back here to be part of this organization again. It’s a very humbling experience. I’m used to being out there with the ones and starting. Now, coming on the practice squad, I’m learning a lot. Again, just grateful for this opportunity.”
Poyer’s willingness to return could pay off as early as Monday. The only thing potentially keeping the veteran from securing a game-day jersey is rookie Jordan Hancock. The 2025 draft pick flashed during the preseason at safety, but an injury early in the year has kept him off the field.
If Hancock gets the nod over Poyer, the veteran believes the rookie has everything it takes to be a standout player for Buffalo. In fact, Poyer went as far as to say that Hancock reminds him a lot of himself early in his career.
“He’s a ball player. He’s going to play for a long time,” Poyer said. “He’s just athletic, extremely athletic, extremely gifted. He’s got ball skills, and he reminds me of a young me when I was coming into the league. I think he’s a little bit more gifted, maybe a little bit faster and can jump higher. Even being here for the last month and a half, I’ve seen his growth on and off the field. So, you know, I can see why Beane and this organization drafted him.”
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