Bills Name Starting Punter After Next Round of Cuts

Who's getting the starting job?

Jeremy Brener | Aug 22, 2022

It's not every year you see a battle between two punters for a roster spot. And in the Buffalo Bills' case, it may be a long time before there is another competition for the starting job.

Sixth-round rookie punter Matt Araiza, known by fans as the "Punt God" appears to have won the Bills starting punter job after the team released veteran Matt Haack.

Haack spent four seasons with the Miami Dolphins before heading to the Bills on a three-year contract last season. He played well for the Bills last season, punting in all 17 games, but he wasn't able to put together enough of a case to beat out the rookie Araiza.

Araiza arrives in Buffalo armed with the nickname of "Punt God" after a prolific career with San Diego State. Upon his selection with the 180th overall pick of the draft, the former Aztec became the first punter chosen by the Bills since John Nies in 1990. Among his collegiate honors was a unanimous All-American nomination as well as the Ray Guy Award, both in 2021. Araiza declined his final year of eligibility to go pro and was the third of four punters chosen on Day 3 of the draft.

Earlier this preseason, Araiza booted one of the longest punts in NFL history. He kicked the ball 82 yards in the preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts, which is possibly one of the reasons why he won the starting job.

Bills Mafia should get used to seeing many more of these punts from Araiza as the rookie has solidified his role with the team.

Published Aug 22, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.