‘I’m glad I’m on this side.’ Dolphins safety Jordan Poyer set to return to practice Tuesday
Jordan Poyer likely wasn’t supposed to be here.
The 218th pick of the 2013 NFL Draft, Poyer was released by the Philadelphia Eagles prior to the midpoint of the season. A three-year stint with the Cleveland Browns came next and the Oregon State product eventually landed a contract with the Buffalo Bills. He flourished there, earning both an All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection. After the Bills released Poyer in March, he signed with the Dolphins, an exciting opportunity that was put on hold when he fractured the bottom of his thumb during 1-on-1s in his “fifth or sixth practice,” according to the strong safety
“It’s been tough to sit back and watch, but at the same time it gave me a lot of perspective, a lot of excitement coming into the season,” Poyer said Monday afternoon.
Poyer, however, plans to return to practice Tuesday, a welcome addition to one of the NFL’s best secondaries. One aspect that really stood out during his time off: “the work ethic.”
“On the defensive side of the ball, the way guys were getting to the ball, the way guys were communicating,” Poyer said, later adding that “it’s an exciting team, an exciting defense to be a part of.”
McDaniel praised the way in which Poyer has acclimated to the team, calling the safety a “warrior.”
“I think the locker room shares my affinity for Jordan Poyer,” McDaniel said Monday, adding that he’s back “sooner than most would.” “You’re talking about a pro’s pro who has already added a ton of value on and off the field already.”
Part of that value has to do with the way Poyer has approached practice — even without suiting up.
“Everything that I have seen in practice, I always stand next to the guys to make sure I’m getting the coaching points,” Poyer said.
With the addition of Poyer, the Dolphin’ secondary now includes two All-Pros (Poyer and Jalen Ramsey), two Super Bowl winners (Ramsey and Kendall Fuller) and a promising young player in Jevón Holland. Communication, Poyer said, will be key as the season progresses.
“There’s not going to be a perfect game or a perfect season,” Poyer said. “You want to go 17-0. We all would love to go 17-0. That would one great. But there might be a game that you drop and there might be some lessons that you need to learn from that game. So being able to be a man about your business and collectively come together to solve those issues and stay together and staying on that straight line throughout the season” will be important.
Despite the loss of All-Pro corner Xavien Howard, whom the Dolphins released in March, expectations are high for the defensive back unit that ranked 15th against the pass in 2023. There’s definitely more pressure now than in years past — Dolphins owner Stephen Ross certainly added to that when he called the team Super Bowl contenders during an in-game interview with CBS Miami on Saturday — but it’s something the players appear to have embraced.
“This team is up there in the top five of all teams if you’re looking at them on paper but that really doesn’t mean anything,” Poyer said. What does matter, he continued, is how the Dolphins deal with adversity. “It’s the talented teams that are able to stay together through those adverse moments… that you see playing in the playoffs at the end of the season.”
As for Poyer specifically, he just seems happy to be far from those cold, Buffalo winters and not having to game plan for the Dolphins.
“I’m glad I’m on this side,” Poyer said with a slight chuckle. “Because game planning against that offense is already hard. Seeing a few new wrinkles, a few things that they’ve done from OTAs to training camp and obviously the players that they have, I’m glad I’m on this side and I don’t have to game plan for them no more.”
