Countdown to Training Camp: Micah Hyde is 6th Most Valuable Bill

He's been to a Pro Bowl and is part of a secondary that's ranked 4th in the league by Pro Football Focus.

Don't try going over Micah Hyde's head. It's just not worth it.

He and fellow Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer just don't allow it, which is one of the reasons the Bills' secondary is ranked fourth in the NFL by Pro Football Focus heading into the 2021 season.

Hyde and Poyer have been Buffalo's safeties every since Sean McDermott, a safety himself in his playing days at William & Mary, took over as head coach in 2017.

That was the year Hyde came from Green Bay and made the Pro Bowl with totals of 82 tackles and five interceptions that still stand as career highs.

He's been a perfect fit for the team and the fan base since Day 1.

For those reasons, Hyde ranks sixth among the 30 projected Most Valuable Bills for 2021, which we at Bills Central are unveiling on a day-by-day basis leading up to training camp.

In his four seasons with the Bills, Hyde has played 62 regular-season games, with 282 tackles and nine interceptions.

Hyde also is among those who have bought into McDermott's mantra that everything must be earned again.

"We understand that just because we made the AFC Championship Game last year, that there's no guarantee that we're going to be back," Hyde said during OTAs. "So I'm excited to see this team respond. ... It's going to be fun."

The Bills' defense wasn't as strong last season as it was the previous three, thanks mostly to a sluggish start that Hyde believes the unit can't afford to experience again this year.

"Obviously deep into the season and the playoffs, we were playing pretty well on the defensive side of the ball except for the last game," he said. "But we feel like we can always play better, and that's kind of the mindset we're bringing in this year.

"We don't want to have that first three-, four-game kind of fallout that we had last year. Obviously we have a preseason this year, so we'll have time to go against opponents, kind of feel some things out."

Nick Fierro is the publisher of Bills Central. Check out the latest Bills news at www.si.com/nfl/bills and follow Fierro on Twitter at @NickFierro. Email to Nicky300@aol.com.