The Buffalo Bills on Saturday night announced they were releasing Matt Araiza, who was their starting punter and sixth round draft pick this year. On Sunday, they got to work finding his replacement and reportedly had a number of free agent punters in for a workout.
According to Mike Garafolo, the group of punters the Bills had included Michael Palardy, Ty Long, Tyler Newson, and Joseph Charloton. However, as Garafolo noted the Buffalo Bills didn’t sign any punters and will keep their options open.
This is not overly surprising and isn’t an indication of any of the players’ workouts but rather due to the fact that all NFL teams will be cutting their roster down to 53 players by Tuesday afternoon. This could make some players who are currently on rosters available if they were to be cut and better options for the Bills.
Michael Palardy is a player to watch for the Buffalo Bills
The one name that isn’t really a surprise and may even be considered a favorite is Michael Palardy. Last year, he was the starting punter for the Miami Dolphins and averaged 44.7 yards per punt on 65 punts.
However, prior to that, he was with the Carolina Panthers from 2016 to 2019 and his first year with Carolina was also the final season for Sean McDermott, who was their defensive coordinator, and Brandon Beane, who was the assistant general manager.
Palardy joined the Panthers midway through the 2016 season after starter Andy Lee suffered an injury that forced him to miss the remainder of the year. He would then beat out Lee in a training camp battle before the 2017 season and Andy Lee was released.
In those four seasons, Palardy had 243 punts for an average of 45.3 yards per punt and with his longest punt going for 63 yards, which was in the 2017 season.
If the Buffalo Bills don’t find an option after the roster cuts, Michael Palardy seems like the logical choice for the team to address the punter position.
5 Buffalo Bills on offense who are destined for the practice squad
The Buffalo Bills have a lot of talent on offense and these are five players the team likely will cut but try to bring back on the practice squad.