Micah Hyde was Buffalo’s biggest ticket free agent signing this offseason. Here’s why he’s poised to have the most productive season of his NFL career.
By Canio Marasco / Contributing Correspondent
With the release of Aaron Williams, the Bills were left with a big hole in the defensive backfield. Williams was an athletic playmaker and leader. The Bills looked to fill this hole by signing five-year veteran Micah Hyde, who previously served a wide-ranging role in the Green Bay Packers defense. With a true starting role, and the chance to be a leader on the Bills defense, Hyde has the opportunity to excel in 2017. Here are three reasons why he is posed to seize that opportunity.
Experience
Hyde was a key contributor for the Packers during his four years with the team. Although Hyde was never a true starter for the Packers, he was used in a myriad of roles.
Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier stated that he was very impressed by Hyde’s time with the Packers.
“Micah had a very good career in Green Bay,” said Frazier. “He had a ton of ball production, so to add him to our roster is a big [catch] for us. We think he has a chance to really make a difference as far as taking the ball away.”
Hyde had eight interceptions and 23 pass breakups over the past three seasons with Green Bay serving as a subpackage player, cornerback and safety.
His experience will be paramount in establishing communication with the rest of the defense. Much like Williams was asked to do previously, Hyde will run the defense from the back end. With the addition of Jordan Poyer and rookie Tre’Davious White, the Bills will need a steady veteran presence to keep the defensive backfield organized.
Hyde stated that building on field chemistry has been a point of emphasis this offseason.
“Communication has come a long way,” said Hyde. “I just think that goes along with learning the playbook. Once you get comfortable you can go out there and communicate.”
Versatility
Although Hyde started in only 11 games last season, this didn’t limit his snaps. Not only did he see time at safety, he was also used in covering slot receivers, and he even played snaps at linebacker.
Hyde’s role will be very similar for the Bills in 2017.
“I’m playing on the back end right now, but I’m trying to learn the whole defense,” said Hyde. “I’ve played nickel in the past and know what Sean (McDermott) has done in the past. I’m trying to learn as much as possible. If they put me in that (big nickel) position that’s what I’ll do and try to help the team out. If not, someone else will step in and play that position well.”
At 6-foot, and 200 pounds, Hyde has the size to serve in many roles. Not only is he the perfect size to play safety, he can also act as a rangy coverage linebacker or as a “big” nickel corner.
Frazier stated that this versatility will be put to good use in the Bills defense this season.
“He’s a versatile guy in the secondary,” said Frazier. “He can tackle, but he can cover good tight ends, good running backs – he’s just a very versatile player who has provided great production with the ball so that was a big get for us this offseason.”
Much like teammate Lorenzo Alexander, Hyde will be asked to serve in many different roles. This will allow the talented veteran to showcase his abilities in as many ways as possible.
Nose for the ball
Despite serving in many different roles for the Packers, Hyde has been very productive throughout his NFL career. Hyde has totaled eight interceptions over the past four seasons, while also averaging 57 tackles a season.
Hyde had his most productive season in 2016. Not only did he total three interceptions on the season, he had 58 tackles and a sack.
His aggressiveness in making plays on the ball falls right in line with what the Bills coaches are stressing heading into the season, but pass breakups are only a consolation prize compared to takeaways.
“We are getting a lot of hands on the ball, but we’ve got to capitalize on those and get interceptions,” said Hyde. “We’re stressing that a lot in meetings. We want to get pass breakups, but you want to get turnovers off of that. We’re stressing that and hope to keep getting better.”
An aggressive defense that makes a point of forcing turnovers is what Sean McDermott has tried to implement in Buffalo. Hyde, who has shown that he has the ability to force turnovers, could find even greater success in 2017. Coupled with his experience, and a large role in the Bills defense, Hyde could have his most productive season in NFL.