Buffalo Bills Free Agency Analysis: Steven Hauschka

After many missed extra points, the Buffalo Bills cut Dan Carpenter and opened the door for a new kicker through free agency — Steven Hauschka

Steven Hauschka will bring a new face to a position that has been making Buffalo Bills‘ fans mad for quite some time.

Buffalo Bills‘ fans had a very contentious relationship when it came to former kicker Dan Carpenter. On one hand, he was a proven veteran that had great seasons in Miami and in Buffalo. His family was active in the community and you never doubted his effort.

On the other hand, the Bills missed the playoffs in both of Rex Ryan’s seasons, but you could argue that a couple extra points would have changed some key games. Games that maybe would have allowed the Buffalo Bills to make the playoffs.

Since the rule change that moved extra points back, Carpenter was 74 out of 85 in extra point attempts. That’s 11 points that were left on the board. To me, that’s also 11 points where a touchdown gives the entire team momentum, only to have some of it go away one play later.

So with a tight salary cap to manage, it was time to cut Dan Carpenter. The Bills ended up adding another veteran kicker in Steven Hauschka. Hauschka last played for Seattle, he won a Super Bowl with them, had big kicks and handled kick-offs.

Hauschka was let go by Seattle because he was becoming more and more inefficient with his extra points.

Contract Analysis

According to Spotrac, Hauschka’s contract is for 3 years and worth $8.85 million. The contract isn’t a huge life saver for the Bills when you compare it directly to what Dan Carpenter made. Carpenter made a little over $7 million during his 4 seasons with the Bills.

Where Hauschka’s deal does add value to Buffalo is that it will free up a roster spot. To make this deal feel more even (looking strictly at $$) you have to assume that kickoff specialist Jordan Gay is no longer needed.

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That’s a free roster spot that the Bills had to maintain during the Carpenter era.

Hauschka was arguably the top kicker in free agency this year, so while the Bills did pay a bit more than you would like, they got the best possible player at the position.

Roster Fit

Hauschka is a roster upgrade over Carpenter. Simply stated, he frees up the kickoff specialist spot,and will allow additional depth at another position.

Under Sean McDermott, the Buffalo Bills are targeting versatile players and those who can contribute on special teams. While Hauschka is limited in what he can offer other positions, he can at the very least offer the additional roster spot, something the Bills haven’t had in several years.

Final Analysis

It’s hard to dislike this signing due to the reasons stated above. My personal issue is that you are paying a significant amount for a guy to kick. There has to be somebody who can hit extra points and do kick-offs for less.

There is no doubt that when the game is on the line or a long kick needs to be made, the Bills found the right guy. They are gambling on him getting the extra points back under control.

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Last season he was 13 for 13 on field goals between 30-39 yards. Somehow he missed 6 extra point kicks. Is this an aberration? Or was this the beginning of a trend that will stay in the mind of Hauschka his entire Bills tenure?

We have seen this before from Carpenter. He was referenced a lot in this analysis because the Bills goal was to get a kicking upgrade. I see it on kick-offs and on deep field goals, but I am not sure on extra points yet.

It would be devastating to Buffalo Bills fans to be in a playoff race, and have another Kansas City Chiefs game from 2015 all over again. The Bills play great, a missed extra point causes them late in the game to have to go for 2 points to tie it and take a few risks they normally wouldn’t have taken.

Bills lose and miss the playoffs.

I like the signing, because it’s hard not to. I believe McDermott wouldn’t bring in Hauschka if he wasn’t willing to participate in the community, something he seems keen on with every free agent.

Just make sure every pre-season extra point Steven Hauschka is out there, to get the misses out of his head and confidence back in his leg.

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What do you think about the Steven Hauschka signing? Leave your thoughts below!

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