Bills Central

Bills GM ‘confident’ in Tyler Bass despite recent woes: ‘We’ve just got to relax’

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane is confident that kicker Tyler Bass will soon overcome his struggles.

Kyle Silagyi

Jamie Germano / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Special teams have been a popular topic of conversation around the NFL throughout the entire summer thanks to sweeping kickoff rule changes that fundamentally change how the play is strategized for; it’s been an oft-discussed phase of the game in Western New York for a different reason, however, as fans of the Buffalo Bills have had several long and difficult conversations about kicker Tyler Bass.

The 27-year-old, when playing to his potential, is one of the best kickers in the NFL, a reliable presence who once earned the nickname ‘Bass-O-Matic’ from the Buffalo faithful. He didn’t live up to this moniker in the 2023 campaign, however, as he made just 82.8 percent of his kicks throughout the year (22nd amongst kickers with 25 or more field goal attempts). His woes reared their head most prominently in the playoffs, as he missed two kicks in the Bills’ Wild Card round win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and another in their Divisional Round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs; his last missed kick of the year was a 44-yard attempt that would have tied the game with under two minutes remaining.

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And his struggles have poured over into the offseason, as he never got into a noticeable rhythm throughout training camp. This resulted in frequent missed kicks in practice, and though he got off to a strong start in this year’s preseason (making five of five attempts through the first two games), he missed a 51-yard attempt in the Bills’ preseason finale, leaving Buffalo fans with a bad taste in their mouths entering the new campaign.

The Bills’ front office knows that Bass’ struggles are a concern, but they’re not ready to hit the panic button just yet. Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane spoke about the kicker during his Wednesday media availability, saying that what he's seen from him in the past makes him confident that he’ll re-find his form.

“Not at this point,” Beane said when asked if the team considered adding a kicker to the practice squad. “We’ve looked at all sorts of things. T-Bass, I get the question, I do. I understand. If he had a short history here, probably would’ve [added a kicker to the practice squad]. If you look at his career—I know what’s fresh in everybody’s mind, I get it, we’re all human. What have you done for me lately? And the end of the season, he’d be the first to tell you was not the way it should go or he wanted it to go. We’re confident in him, his teammates are confident in him. 

Tyler Bass
Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

“We got him the COVID year, 2020, he got no preseason games, it didn’t [impact him]; I think we’ve just got to relax and give him a chance and remain confident in him. And he knows. I think Sean said it after the game, [Bass] doesn’t need Twitter or the fans or whoever telling him. He knows. He’s his own worst critic. He works like crazy on his craft. Nobody wants it more than him, nobody’s working harder. Again, we’re very confident in him. Obviously he’ll have to go out there and do it, though.”

Beane’s confidence isn’t necessarily misplaced, as Bass is demonstrably one of the NFL’s most consistent kickers when not facing confidence issues (he nailed 87% of his kicks in 2022). His contract was also challenging for the team to get out of at this time, which also likely played a role in the team’s decision to retain him. Regardless, Buffalo is maintaining confidence in Bass at the moment; as Beane said, it’s now up to him to re-find his form, or he may push the team’s hand and force them to look elsewhere.

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Kyle Silagyi

KYLE SILAGYI

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