The Buffalo Bills spent the entire 2025 season-and a playoff run-without their starting kicker ever stepping on the field. Tyler Bass, a mainstay in Buffalo’s special teams unit in recent years, was sidelined after just one preseason appearance due to injury. What followed was a season-long carousel at kicker that tested the Bills’ depth and flexibility in high-pressure moments.
Matt Prater, the veteran leg who stepped in for most of the year, delivered when it mattered-none more memorably than his game-winning kick in that wild Week 1 comeback. But even Prater wasn’t immune to the injury bug, battling through physical setbacks that lingered into the postseason. Michael Badgley also saw time during the regular season when Prater was unavailable, adding another name to the list of kickers who suited up in Bills blue last year.
All of that uncertainty naturally raised a question: Who’s the guy going forward?
According to general manager Brandon Beane, the answer is clear. “I would expect Tyler Bass to be our kicker in ’26,” Beane said this week.
Bass, now reportedly near full health, was even in consideration to return had the Bills punched a ticket to the Super Bowl. That didn’t happen, but the fact that it was on the table speaks volumes about where he stands physically-and how the organization views him long term.
Buffalo has already invested financially in Bass, and for good reason. When healthy, he’s been a steady, reliable presence in a stadium where kicking late in the season can be a nightmare.
Orchard Park is no friend to specialists come November and December-swirling winds, icy turf, and the kind of cold that turns a football into a rock. Yet Bass has proven he can handle it.
Still, after a full season away, there’s understandable hesitation among Bills fans. It’s one thing to say a player is back to 100%; it’s another to see it translate on the field. But the team’s medical staff is confident, and if Bass is cleared, he’ll be back in his familiar role come 2026.
The Bills are betting on stability at a position that’s seen anything but over the past year. If Bass is truly back to form, that’s one less thing for Buffalo to worry about in a season where every point-and every kick-could make the difference.