Safety Micah Hyde rejoins the Buffalo Bills after being signed to practice squad

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — As much enjoyment as Micah Hyde was having coaching his son's soccer team in sunny San Diego, the lure of resuming his playing career and one last opportunity to bring a championship to Buffalo was too much to pass up for the Bills veteran safety. And Hyde chose to return to wintry Buffalo on Wednesday without any guarantee he'll play by signing to the practice squad. In doing so, the 33-year-old willingly accepted taking on an expanded leadership role as mentor and sideline coach. "Listen, I'm here to help. I left my ego in San Diego," Hyde said. "The goal has always been to bring a championship back to Buffalo, and if I can help in any way, if I'm able to give T-Rapp or D-Ham or whoever's out there a nugget to make a big play in a big game, I did my job," he added, referring to Buffalo's starting safety tandem of Taylor Rapp and Damar Hamlin. Hyde isn't so much coming out of retirement after going unsigned once the final year of his contract expired in March. In rejecting interest from other teams, Hyde stuck to his vision in keeping the door open to resume playing but only in Buffalo, where he spent the final seven of his 11 NFL seasons. "Match made in heaven, baby," he said. "Everyone's saying, 'Welcome back' It's more like 'Welcome home.'" For Buffalo (10-2), Hyde is a late-season addition who brings experience, stability, leadership and familiarity with the defensive scheme to the now five-time defending AFC East champions. "You're just excited because you know what type of energy he brings to the locker room, you know his personality," edge rusher Von Miller said. "We just got better by adding Micah Hyde, whether that's on the football field or off the football field. ... It's all plus-plus in each and every category." Coach Sean McDermott stressed that as much as he welcomes Hyde's addition, it in no way reflects on Buffalo's safety group. And yet, Hyde does provide insurance down the stretch in the event of an injury. "We're in a good spot, very confident in the guys that have played there all season long and have both done a nice job," McDermott said. "It's about the team. It's always about the team, and it's never about one person. And in this case, Micah would not want that to be, in this case, about him." The Bills never ruled out the possibility of Hyde's return, by keeping his former locker stall vacant and not assigning his familiar No. 23 to another player. Hyde's signing comes on the heels of Buffalo's division-clinching 35-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers. The Bills, who travel to play the Rams (6-6) on Sunday, now have their sights set on chasing down Kansas City (11-1), a team they defeated last month, to win the AFC's top seed entering the playoffs. McDermott's bond with Hyde runs deep, going back to 2017. That's when the then-first-year coach identified Hyde and safety Jordan Poyer to become Buffalo's first key free agent signings. Hyde and Poyer signed hours apart and opened seven straight seasons as Buffalo's starting tandem. Hyde, who spent his first four seasons in Green Bay, earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2017 and 2021. Poyer, an All-Pro selection in '21, is now with Miami after being released by Buffalo in March. Hyde missed a majority of the 2022 season with a severe neck injury. He started 14 games last season, though he missed three games because of injury. Hyde said he's injury free and also lost weight in spending his time off working out regularly. The only thing certain, he said, is this will be his final NFL season, whenever and however it might end. "After the last game, that (retirement) paper's going to be right here and it's getting signed," Hyde said. "You can guarantee that, for sure."