Since letting Corey Bojorquez walk in 2021, the Buffalo Bills have rostered four punters. Matt Haack, Matt Araiza, Sam Martin, and Jack Browning. Including Bojorquez, they have rostered six since 2020, with Kaare Vedvik in town for a short time. They’ve had a revolving door of punters over the last few years it seems like, and it’s shown no signs of ending any time soon. Some have been the Bills’ fault, and some haven’t. However, it could have ended this year if they kept rookie Jack Browning around for a punter battle.
Browning signed with the Bills as an undrafted free agent following this year’s draft, and by his college tape, it seemed like he could give Martin a legit battle. However, the Bills ended that battle early when they released him in favor of Terrel Burgess. Now Martin, the Bills punter since 2022, is the lone punter on the roster. Martin had shown signs in 2023 of being very inconsistent in his punts, and in Saturday’s game, that hasn’t changed. Martin had two punts of at least 60 yards and shanked another one 35 yards against the Chicago Bears.
Last season, Martin averaged 45.8 yards per punt with a long of 70 yards, and 24 punts landing inside of the 20-yard line. Martin had been punting in the final playoff game with a bad hamstring, and at 34 years old, he may not have much left in the tank. His inconsistencies aren’t something that had popped up before the 2023 season, and after 11 seasons, it may be catching up to him now.
Martin is entering the second year of his three-year, $6M contract and has a $2M cap hit this season, according to Spotrac. Do the Bills add to the revolving door and release Martin? A release would save the Bills $1.6M this season. If the Bills do look to add another punter, look for it to come around cutdown day when other teams’ battles come to an end and veterans become available. There isn’t much left in free agency to come in and compete with Martin unless the Bills want to bring in Haack for his third stint with the team, or former Pittsburgh Steelers punter Pressley Harvin III. Neither is better than Martin, so it’s better to wait a couple more weeks to see who becomes available.
The Bills have two more games left in the preseason to get one final read on Martin before they make their final roster cuts. If he can limit his inconsistencies and prove to be a good punter still, we have no worries and neither do the Bills. However, right now, the Bills should be getting worried about his recent performances.