Maybe one could honestly be grateful in a learning experience, which I am about to unfold for you in the next few paragraphs….but in truth, Tyler Bass should be grateful to have a job at this point.
The learning experience I am reflecting on is this….he’s kicking, he’s supposedly healthy, and we do not have a backup kicker in Camp for who knows why because he’s missed 4 FG attempts in his last 3 outings (Panthers Week 1, joint practice w/ Cleveland, and this weeks pre-season matchup with the very same Browns on another grass surface).
None of these kicks were “from distance”, where the NFL norm of sorts is 50+ in yardage anymore….with several of the top kickers in the NFL able to hit consistently from 60+ on a regular basis.
The misses are relevant going into the 2026-27 season….simply because we have had consistent losses in the playoffs by 3 points since 2020. The very year we selected Bass in the 6th round of the 2020 NFL Draft from Georgia Southern.
Now….we all know about the defensive let downs in each of those losses, and I am not shouldering blame upon an inconsistent kicker in clutch moments. But he was not a factor in making up those points when given the chance:
2023: He was 2-5 in FG attempts in the playoffs
2024: He missed a game tying FG vs KC
And just think of the extra point struggles with consistency in the regular season.
Well, hold on a moment….after further review, Bass’s struggles might just be situational.
In comparison to the greatest FG kicker of All-Time, Adam Vinetari….Tyler Bass compares favorably in career stat %’s:
Tyler Bass: 83 games….131-155 FG’s (85%)
Adam Vinetari: 365 games….599-715 (84%)
Wowww. Bet you never would have thought it was that close, even with extra points:
Tyler Bass: 264-274 XPM (96%)
Adam Vinetari: 874-898 XPM (97%)
Sounds too good to be true! Because it’s not….Adam Vinetari played 25 seasons and was CLUTCH.
That is the difference. And availability is the best ability, so keep in mind that Tyler Bass missed the entire 2025-26 season for a reason….severe hip and groin issues, for a kicker none the less.
This is solely the reason he took a pay cut from his 2023 contract for 4 years at $20 million….this season playing for only $3,000,000 and ranked 12th in kicker salary for 2026-27.
He’s not even ranked in Fantasy Football Leagues for that reason….too much of an unknown.
So sure, he should be “Grateful for the misses” in being grateful Matt Prater isn’t here pushing for his job.
But maybe, just maybe before the Steeler game this coming Thursday we should take a hard look at grabbing Matt Prate off the Free Agency Waiver Wire….have him in for a look in the very least.
Because Saucy and I told you folks before the draft that Kicking and Punting was an issue moving forward with the Bills….Championships are won in collaboration with Special Teams and no roster proved that more than the 2025-26 Seattle Seahawks with literally the best Special Teams performance in NFL History for a Super Bowl.
Myers led the NFL in scoring while kicking 5 FG’s in that Super Bowl and Dickson placed 4 punts inside New England’s 10 yard line….Special Teams matter.
And the NY Giants took Dominic Zvada (Zvada-matic) from Michigan as an UFA in the draft….an All-American place kicker who has range and consistency unlike Tyler Bass. In fact, Zvada is 100% in FGM and XPM this pre-season.
So….how grateful are we that Tyler Bass remains our kicker with no visible 2nd option moving forward????
Hmmmm.