Bills Safety Jordan Poyer Out vs. Steelers, Damar Hamlin to Start

All-Pro Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer, starting tight end Dawson Knox and rookie cornerback Christian Benford will not play for the Bills when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday at Highmark Stadium.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott said in his appearance on WGR550 Friday morning that starters Poyer and Knox will not play this week, along with three other players.

Poyer was a first-team All-Pro for the first time in his career in 2021, teaming up with Micah Hyde to form one of the top safety tandems in the NFL. Neither of them will be playing in this week’s game, as Hyde will miss the rest of the season with a neck injury suffered in Week 2. Poyer is dealing with a rib injury that occurred on the final play of the Bills’ Week 4 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

Jaquan Johnson, a 2019 sixth-round pick out of Miami, will start for Hyde at free safety. Pittsburgh native and Pitt alum Damar Hamlin will start at strong safety in place of Poyer.

Knox is dealing with foot and hamstring injuries. He caught three passes for 40 yards against the Ravens in Week 4. Quintin Morris is listed as Knox’s backup.

Benford started Buffalo’s first three games before suffering a broken hand. First-round rookie Kaiir Elam is once again expected to replace him, as he did in Week 4.

Backup wide receivers Jamison Crowder and Jake Kumerow are also out. McDermott did not mention the status of starting middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, who missed Buffalo’s first two practices of the week with a hamstring injury.

The Bills had four players limited on Thursday: wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie (concussion), offensive lineman Justin Murry (foot), defensive tackle Ed Oliver (ankle) and defensive tackle Jordan Phillips (hamstring).

With Knox, Crowder and Kumerow out and McKenzie’s status in the air, it could be a less-than-ideal group of receivers for Bills quarterback Josh Allen to work with on Sunday.