Jordan Poyer to make season debut for Bills in Week 6 vs. Falcons

Poyer was elevated from the team’s practice squad along with fellow veteran Jordan Phillips ahead of Buffalo’s Monday Night Football game against the Falcons, marking the first time Poyer has been on the team’s game-day roster this season.

This will be the second practice-squad elevation for Phillips, who was also active for the Bills’ Week 4 matchup with the New Orleans Saints. He recorded a couple of tackles in that game. Each member of a team’s practice squad can be elevated to the game-day roster a total of three times per season.

Poyer returned to the Bills in a practice-squad role this preseason after spending a season away from Buffalo, with the Miami Dolphins a season ago. Before his departure following the 2023 season, Poyer played for the Bills for seven seasons, beginning in 2017 when Sean McDermott was named head coach.

Poyer recored 22 interceptions and 682 tackles as a member of the Bills, and was named a first-team All-Pro during the 2021 season. Last year with Miami, Poyer started 16 games, recording 98 tackles and three passes defensed but displayed diminished speed and athletic ability, leading to the Dolphins letting him walk in free agency.

His activation for the game against the Falcons comes as a result of an injury sustained by fellow safety Damar Hamlin, who has been placed on Injured Reserve due to a pectoral injury, forcing him to miss at least the next four games. With Hamlin out, either Poyer or rookie Jordan Hancock will likely slot in as the team’s third option at the position. Whoever it may be, they will be an injury to either Taylor Rapp or Cole Bishop away from entering the starting lineup.

Poyer spoke with Syracuse.com's Ryan Talbot leading into the Week 6 matchup with Atlanta, expressing his readiness to play if his number was called.

“I feel like I played a lot of football in my life,” Poyer told Talbot. “So, you know, that is the case — I’ll be ready to play out there and play how I play.”

Buffalo and Atlanta kick off at 7:15 p.m. on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.