The first wave of free agency is officially in the books.
Over the last seven days, more than 150 players found a new home in the NFL, and PFF provided live analysis on every major transaction, giving out grades from both a team fit/need and value standpoint.
Here are the 12 moves that earned an “A” grade (or better) in both of those categories, starting with the Buffalo Bills‘ decision to bring back veteran safety Jordan Poyer.
JORDAN POYER RE-SIGNS WITH BUFFALO BILLS
2022 PFF Grade: 65.7 (48th/88 S) 2022 PFF WAR: 0.13 (48th S)
- Fit/need grade: A+
- Value grade: A+
- Contract: Two years, $12.5 million ($6.25 million per year), $7 million total guaranteed
- PFF projected contract: Two years, $17 million ($8.5 million per year), $11.5 million total guaranteed
Poyer has been remarkably durable in the latter half of his career, logging around 1,000 snaps in five straight seasons before finally missing some time and playing through various ailments in 2022. This likely helps explain how Buffalo was able to retain a cornerstone of their defense on a solid deal for the club after all, and they once again will have the dynamic duo of Poyer and Micah Hyde on the backend.
From 2020-21, Poyer ranked ninth among safeties in PFF wins-above-replacement, and his 90.7 coverage grade ranked second. He and Hyde can both excel in single- and two-high safety looks, allowing Sean McDermott to creatively deploy them and confuse opposing quarterbacks with various looks. Buffalo retains a key defensive piece here for less than many expected.
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.