Jordan Poyer reunion could heal the Eagles' secondary woes
By Matt Conner
If given the chance, the Philadelphia Eagles would undoubtedly change their history of decisions made when it comes to Jordan Poyer. Perhaps a potential reunion for the 2024 season could at least give the story a proper ending.
On Wednesday, NFL insider Adam Schefter posted the news that the Buffalo Bills had decided to officially part ways with Poyer after seven years with the team.
For the Bills, the decision to move on from Poyer was not about production but rather about finances. The Bills will save $5.5 million in cap space with the move and are prepared to move on in the secondary despite Poyer's solid production last season.
The Buffalo Bills are set to release Jordan Poyer and a return to Philly could be just what the Eagles need.
Poyer is an incredible NFL story as one of the most successful 7th round picks of all time. He was originally selected by the Eagles back at the end of the 2013 NFL Draft—at No. XXXX overall. The downside there is that Philly decided to give up on him by October of that same year and that's when the Cleveland Browns claimed him off of waivers.
Poyer would go on to climb the depth chart of Cleveland's secondary for the rest of his rookie deal before cashing in with the Buffalo Bills in free agency, where he'd spend the next seven seasons partnering with Micah Hyde and others in a stout Bills defense. In 2021 he was named a first-team All-Pro and he made his first Pro Bowl in 2022.
Even though he turns 33 in April, Poyer has started every single game for the Bills for the last five years except for a handful of missed games in 2022. Just last year, he also racked up 100 tackles and 4 passes deflected for the Bills while putting up solid performances against both the run and in pass coverage.
Given that the Kevin Byard experiment didn't work out for the Eagles, there's a real need here in addition to cornerback concerns. A reunion with Poyer could provide the sort of production the team needs at safety while also serving as a heartening story of a team bringing a player back into the fold 11 years after they let him go.