Nov 3, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) tries to make a catch as Miami Dolphins safety Jordan Poyer (21) and cornerback Cam Smith (24) defend in the fourth quarter Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Determined Jordan Poyer has 'the receipts' as he embarks on second Bills' stint

Originally posted on Buffalo Bills on SI
By Ralph Ventre | Last updated Aug 29, 2025 8:42 PM ET

Jordan Poyer is no elephant, but the Buffalo Bills' safety can certainly remember.

Poyer remembers both the good and the bad, even though his first Bills' tenure featured a lot more of the former.

“This is where my heart is. This is where home is, where, you know, I essentially grew up in this game, on and off the field," said Poyer, a former All-Pro who returns to the Bills' organization following a trying 2024 season with the Miami Dolphins.

After the grizzled veteran appeared to slow a bit down the stretch of the 2023 season, the Bills made Poyer a salary cap casualty, and he subsequently signed a one-year contract with the desperate Dolphins.

Although he made 16 starts for Miami, Poyer struggled in pass coverage, and many were questioning if he had anything left.

His most memorable, or forgettable depending upon one's perspective, moment with the Dolphins came against the Bills in Week 9. With the game tied late in teh fourth quarter, Poyer illegally hit Bills' wide receiver Keon Coleman in an attempt to seperate him from a third-down pass down the sideline. The penalty set up a game-winning 61-yard field goal by Tyler Bass. It also resulted in a wrist injury for Coleman, stunting the rookie's development midway through the season.

Having turned 34 years old in April, Poyer was unemployed until the Bills added him to the practice squad on Wednesday.

“I'm just extremely thankful to be here, and I still feel like I got a lot left to prove to myself, to this game, to the people around me. I keep the receipts, so I'm working hard. I'm coming in with my head down," said Poyer.

Having started all 107 regular season games he played for the Bills from 2017 through 2023, Poyer re-joins the team in a different capacity.

“Today is very humbling in a sense of the 1s go out there and the 2s go out there, and you're not out there," said Poyer. "You're on the look squad and it's very humbling and it will be a very humbling experience, but at the same time, I do feel like this is a great opportunity for me as a person, as a player, at this point in my career, to just be myself and go out there and help where needed."

While he'll start the season as a practice player, Poyer envisions earning snaps at some point this fall.

"I'm just going to work, you know, help the guys be an extra set of eyes, extra set of ears, and just be a service. But don't get me wrong, I'm also here to play football at a high level. And today was a, it was fun to get back on the field," said Poyer following this past Wednesday's practice in Orchard Park.

In addition to the value he brings as a mentor, Poyer's experience in the system may make him a viable option at safety should there be an injury to Taylor Rapp, Cole Bishop or Damar Hamlin.

“I'm here to play football, too, because it is what I love and I have a passion for, but I just I want to help this team win in any way that I can.”