91 Buffalo Bills Players in 91 Days: S Mike Edwards

The Buffalo Bills have a new secondary this season. At least, it’s a new safety group, since stalwarts Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde are no longer on the roster. For the first time since the 2016 NFL season, when Buffalo’s head coach was Rex Ryan and their starting safeties included Corey Graham, Aaron Williams, James Ihedigbo and Duke Williams (no, not that Duke Williams), the Bills will be looking for new starters at safety.

It’s a good thing we brought up the Duke Williams who played defense, because just as we might more easily think of the Duke Williams who played receiver before the Duke Williams who played safety, the Bills also have two players with the same name on this year’s roster. There won’t be many people confusing the Mike Edwards who plays offensive line with the Mike Edwards who plays safety, but at least in passing, it could lead to some confusion.

Well, my friends, fear not. On today’s episode of “91 Players in 91 Days,” we discuss the second Mike Edwards on the Bills roster, and the one most likely to make an impact on the 2024 NFL season.

Mike Edwards

• Number: 21
• Position: S
• Size weight: 5’10”, 205 lbs
• Age: 28 (29 on 05/18/2025)
• Experience/Draft: 6; selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round (99th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft
• College: Kentucky
• Acquired: Signed with Bills on 03/20/2024

Financial situation (according to Spotrac): Edwards signed a one-year deal with the Bills, a pact worth a total of $2.8 million. Of that total, Edwards is guaranteed to make $1.6 million. That’s the amount the Bills would pay if they were to remove him from the salary cap. If he’s retained, his salary cap hit would be $2.8 million.

2023 Recap: Edwards won his second Super Bowl, this time as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. He signed with Kansas City in the offseason and was used as a defensive end and special teams player until starting safety Bryan Cook was injured against the Miami Dolphins. Edwards made his first start in Buffalo’s 20–17 victory over the Chiefs in November. Edwards started every game for Kansas City from that point on, despite suffering a concussion in the Chiefs’ 27–24 playoff win over Buffalo. He finished the regular season with 51 tackles, five pass deflections, two tackles for loss, one interception, two fumble recoveries, one sack, and one defensive touchdown. In the playoffs, Edwards had 12 tackles, two pass deflections, and one interception.

Positional perspectives: Edwards is one of four traditional safeties on the Bills roster. Taylor Rapp, Cole Bishop and Damar Hamlin are the others. Cam Lewis can play safety, but he primarily plays special teams and as a slot corner. Dee Delaney and Kendall Williamson are listed as defensive backs, and both players can play both corner and safety.

Off-season 2024: Edwards has been dealing with a shoulder injury in the offseason, so we haven’t really seen much of him so far. He should be fit for the regular season.

Outlook for the 2024 season: The Bills are paying Edwards like someone they expect to start as a safety, and as long as he’s healthy, that’s what I expect him to do this season. Kansas City used Edwards as a “strong safety,” but that designation doesn’t mean much in the modern NFL anymore. Given that Buffalo’s other safeties are all much better in the box than in the deep third, it’s likely Edwards will have to spend a lot of time as a Micah Hyde rather than a Jordan Poyer.

The bright spot in Buffalo’s safety room, however, is the athleticism of the key players, which should allow for plenty of interchangeable roles throughout the season. Some early-season hiccups are to be expected given the excellent partnership between Poyer and Hyde, but Edwards is a solid veteran who should thrive in Buffalo’s system.