4 things we learned from Day 5 of Buffalo Bills training camp
Punter battle may not be a foregone conclusion
Entering training camp, there was going to be a position battle at punter between Matt Haack, who was the starter last year, and Matt Araiza, who the Bills drafted in the sixth round.
After the season Haack had, it seemed like it was a foregone conclusion that Araiza would be the starter and the battle would play out similar to how it did a few years ago between Tyler Bass and Stephen Hauschka.
However, that might not be the case and prior to practice on Friday, special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley says Matt Haack has competed for that spot. He also has been great in helping the guy who is trying to take his spot, which is very commendable.
High praise for Matt Haack from Matthew Smiley when it comes to the punter competition - Smiley says Haack hasn't backed down from anything but has also been a great help in bringing Matt Araiza along #Bills
— Maddy Glab (@MadGlab) July 29, 2022
After practice, Matt Haack met with the media and said one of the things he did during the offseason was to stay in Buffalo to work on his game and kick in the elements. There is no question that Western New York is a unique place and can create challenges during games, particularly for kickers.
This is a training camp battle that could run all the way up to the start of the regular season or the coaching staff may elect to pick the winner early to give that player more reps with Tyler Bass as the holder on field goal attempts.
