Bills kicker Tyler Bass has ‘made improvements,’ learned from adversity

Buffalo Bills special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley feels as though kicker Tyler Bass has learned from the adversity he faced last season.

Buffalo Bills place kicker Tyler Bass (2) walks off the field after missing what would have been a game tying field goal in a 27-24 loss to the Chiefs in the divisional round. / Jamie Germano/Rochester Democrat and

Just last year viewed as one of the league’s most consistent players at his position, Buffalo Bills kicker Tyler Bass enters the 2024 campaign with unanticipated—and unwanted—question marks looming over his head given his inconsistencies throughout the 2023 season.

He made just 82.8 percent of his kicks throughout the year, 22nd amongst kickers with 25 or more field goal attempts. His struggles reared their head most prominently in the playoffs; 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, a 44-yard attempt that would have tied the game with under two minutes remaining.

The Buffalo faithful was, thus, left with an unfavorable image of Bass, one of him watching his kick drift to the side of the uprights before walking off the field with his head hung low. The Bills’ coaching staff does not think Bass’ recent struggles will impact this season, however; when speaking to reporters ahead of Sunday’s training camp practice, special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley praised the kicker, saying that this period of hardship will allow him to grow.

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“I think both from a technique standpoint and also just from a sports psychology, developing as a man, and this is true for all of us whether we want to admit it, you end up learning more in adversity,” Smiley said. “When things are going good, hey, great, let’s just keep doing the same thing, and that’s not always going to yield good results. 

“Having gone through that adversity last year, I was able to watch him during the offseason when we interacted, during the springtime when we interacted, and coming into camp now, both his mindset and his technique, I believe he’s made improvements, because there’s nobody on the planet that wants Tyler Bass to make every kick more than Tyler Bass. He’s locked in and excited about showing that.”

Kicker is one of several NFL positions at which production ebbs and flows; it’s a role that’s as mental as it is physical, and if a player’s mindset is hampered by anything (whether that be persistent struggles or outside noise), that can easily show up on the field. With an offseason to reflect on—and learn from—his struggles, Bass may be able to re-find his form in Orchard Park this fall. He’s currently linked to Buffalo through the 2027 season after inking a four-year, $21 million extension with the team last summer.

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