Bills S Micah Hyde Surgery Success, Recovery Timetable

Buffalo Bills All-Pro safety Micah Hyde appears poised for a comeback from spinal surgery in 2023.

Since placing All-Pro safety Micah Hyde on season-ending injury reserve last month, the Buffalo Bills secondary has greatly missed his presence on the field.

While returning to the gridiron in 2022 may be out of his reach, the 30-year-old defensive back appears poised for a 2023 comeback.

Per a Wednesday morning report from ESPN, Hyde recently underwent successful surgery to repair a herniated disc. The surgery was performed by spine specialist Dr. Robert Watkins in Los Angeles, and is expected to yield a recovery time between six-nine months.

Hyde suffered the injury Week 2 matchup with against the Tennessee Titans when he attempted to tackle receiver Robert Woods late in the third quarter. Though the hit looked to be minor at first glance, Hyde was taken to the hospital for further evaluation. He was placed on IR on Sept. 24 with a cervical disc herniation.

Considering Hyde’s immediate need for surgery, it can be inferred that the disc herniation was unable to be resolved with rehab or conservative measures. Although the exact procedure performed on Hyde has yet to be officially confirmed, Bills Central recently spoke with Dr. Kyle Trimble, doctor of physical therapy and publisher of BangedUpBills.com, who expressed that Hyde likely underwent an anterior cervical discectomy with fusion.

Trimble described the procedure (called ACDF, for short) as “the gold standard” when treating cervical disc issues that have not been resolved by conservative means.

In short, the surgeon enters the neck “anteriorly, near the throat, to remove the herniated disc and fuse the vertebrae,” which were above and below where the disc was removed. This reduces the pressure on the cervical nerves, leading to long-term stability for the recipient.

As Trimble wrote for SB Nation in late September, outcomes for an ACDF are “overall very positive with 70% of football players (who have this procedure) returning to play with no discernible change in the quality of play. In fact, most return to play within nine months, though this was between a variety of professional sports.”

Trimble reiterated to Bills Central that several notable players have successfully returned following a single-level ACDF, including Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning and Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf. In fact, former LSU and now Dallas Cowboys linebacker Damone Clark underwent this procedure shortly after the 2022 NFL Draft.

In Trimble’s words, this surgery “is not a career ender by any means.”

As such, Bills fans may begin to rest a bit easier regarding the health and future of one half of their star-studded safety tandem. Hyde’s teammate, Jordan Poyer, continues to work his way back onto the field after missing Buffalo’s Week 5 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers with injured ribs.

In addition to Poyer’s impending return, former All-Pro cornerback Tre’Davious Whte has been activated from injured reserve, and returned to the practice field this week, as he completes his recovery from offseason ACL surgery.

Still, the news for Hyde is clearly a step in the right direction, leaving not only Bills Mafia, but also him excited for the future.

“He’s in good spirits,” coach Sean McDermott said of Hyde’s post-surgery demeanor. “He certainly misses being here and we can’t wait to see him when he gets back here. But he has had that surgery and we’re looking forward to getting him back here when he’s back.”

The 4-1 Bills face a tough test in Week 6 as they travel for a showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, with a 4:25 p.m. kickoff at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

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