Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - My 2024 "State of the Bills" positional series wraps up with a look at the specialists:
Under contract:
- LS - Reid Ferguson
- K - Tyler Bass
- P - Sam Martin
- P - Matt Haack
State of the position:
The Bills made an interesting move last week when they signed Haack back to the team, two years removed from his previous stint in Buffalo as their punter.
At this point, Haack will compete with Martin, considering both are on the roster by training camp. It will be interesting to see if both come to St. John Fisher University.
Martin had an inconsistent year to start the season, but bounced back in a really big way. He finished with a career-high 47.1% of his punts landing inside the opponents’ 20-yard line, good for fourth in the league among qualifying punters.
Opposing team’s average drive start against the Bills was their own 27.1-yard line, fourth-worst in the NFL, thanks in large part to Martin’s punting placement.
Martin was so good at the end of the season that he was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for all of December.
The 34-year-old is under contract for two more years. The Bills could save $1.25 million by releasing him prior to March 18, due to a salary guarantee kicking in at that time. They can save $1.65 million by releasing him after June 1.
Going back to Haack, he was only active for one NFL game last season with the Cleveland Browns. The 29-year-old had spent all of 2021 with the Bills before being released and playing for the Indianapolis Colts in 2022.
Haack is also regarded as a terrific holder, which was most likely a huge reason the Bills brought him back after Bass had his worst statistical season as a pro.
Bass was just 82.8% on field goal attempts during the regular season, and went just 2-for-5 in the playoffs.
He was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month in September, going 7-for-7 on field goals and 10-for-10 on extra points. However, from Weeks 6-12, he was just 9-for-14 on field goals.
The Bills signed Bass to four-year, $20.4 million extension last April. He has three years remaining on that deal. The team has a lot of confidence in him, but he needs to have a bounce-back 2024.
Ferguson remains the longest-tenured player in a Bills uniform, signing with the club as an undrafted free agent back in 2016. He has since signed two-separate contract extensions, and now enters the final year of his current deal, which only costs the team $1.21 million against the salary cap.
At only 30-years-old this coming season, Ferguson, who is a consistent and steady long snapper, can still play for several more years.
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