Veteran Bills Safety Requests Trade Amid Disappointing Start: Insider

Getty Bills head coach Sean McDermott (R) with general manager Brandon Beane at MetLife Stadium on September 8, 2019.

Safety Mike Edwards was seen as one of the biggest free-agent additions for the Buffalo Bills in the offseason, a veteran defensive back expected to fill some of the void by a series of departures.

Edwards instead struggled to establish a presence as he struggled with injuries and has been a regular inactive for the team through the first eight games of the season, appearing in just three games with one total tackle.

He could soon be headed to a new home. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Edwards is seeking a trade to a team that will put him in the lineup, a request the Bills are willing to accommodate.

“Veteran Buffalo safety Mike Edwards is available and would like to go somewhere he can play (he has been a steady inactive),” Fowler wrote on Oct. 30.

Mike Edwards Tumbled Down the Depth Chart

The Bills added Edwards in March, with many expecting him to fill the void left by the departures of veterans Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer. CBS Sports noted at the time that Edwards had an inside track to the starting job, even amid the possibility that Hyde could opt against retirement and come back to the team for one more season.

“After signing a one-year deal in March, Edwards has a good chance of starting at free safety with Buffalo having thus far not made an effort to re-sign longtime secondary mainstay Micah Hyde, who is currently without a team and is a question mark to return to football due to long-time neck issues,” the report noted. “Even if Hyde does return to the Bills, the younger and healthier Edwards may be the team’s preferred starter anyway.”

Edwards was coming off a season with the Kansas City Chiefs where he was a difference-maker on a Super Bowl-winning team. He made 51 total tackles with one interception and five pass defenses, adding two fumble recoveries including one that he returned for a touchdown.

But Edwards struggled to hit the field through the offseason after joining the Bills, missing early practices with a shoulder injury and then suffering a hamstring injury three practices into training camp.

Bills Could Make Another Late-Season Move

The Bills could also look to make an addition to their secondary for the final stretch of the regular season and playoffs. Sal Maiorana of the Democrat & Chronicle suggested Hyde could still return to the team for an important late-season role.

Hyde had played for the Bills since 2017 and expressed some interest in the offseason of returning for one more season. Maiorana pointed out that Hyde seems to be keeping the door open to a potential return to Buffalo.

“Hyde’s contract expired after 2023, but he has not filed retirement papers and is simply an available free agent,” Maiorana wrote. “Further, he said back in the spring that if he decides that he wants to play again, it would only be for the Bills, and if they aren’t interested, then he’s done. Well, the Bills haven’t shut that door, so it’s certainly possible that Hyde could take Edwards’ place on the roster.”