The focus on Monday morning for the Buffalo Bills was on special teams as they not only re-signed Sam Martin to a three-year contract but they also brought back core special teams player Tyler Matakevich on a one-year deal.
The news was reportedly originally by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport as a two-year deal but he clarified that the contract was in fact a one-year deal with a void year for 2024.
Tyler Matakevich originally joined the Buffalo Bills as a free agent in 2020 after four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. In three seasons with the Bills, Matakevich has 48 total tackles with almost all of them coming on special teams.
During those years, Matakevich has played 76%, 80%, and 79% of the special teams snaps in those seasons. He also has served as the team captain for the past two seasons for special teams.
Will Tyler Matakevich have a bigger role on the Buffalo Bills defense?
While the Buffalo Bills know what they are getting from Matakevich on special teams, he hasn’t played much on defense with only 118 defensive snaps over the past three years and only three snaps all of last season.
However, the Buffalo Bills have some questions at the position with the most notable being the potential departure of Tremaine Edmunds. In addition to him, the Bills also have Tyrel Dodson and A.J. Klein set to be free agents.
While Matakevich shouldn’t be stepping in as the starter, it could be possible that he serves in that third linebacker role. The Bills have typically played in nickel formation so the third linebacker isn’t a starter but does see upwards of 30% of the defensive snaps over the course of a season.
At this point, it seems like an open competition and there may not be a linebacker who knows the defense better than Tyler Matakevich to serve in that role.