Tag: tyler bass

Some Bills specialists working out together in offseason

Buffalo Bills special teamers Reid Ferguson, Tyler Bass, Kaare Vedvik working out together this offseason.

Buffalo Bills long snapper Reid Ferguson recently revealed that he’s doing his part to get together some of his Bills teammates for offseason workouts in the midst of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Last week, a contingent of Bills players from the team’s offense met down in South Florida. Among them were quarterback Josh Allen and new No. 1 receiver Stefon Diggs.

But the special teamers aren’t sitting around, either. Ferguson recently was profiled along with his brother, Blake, in the New York Times. The story explored how the two brothers, both long snappers as Blake was recently drafted by the Dolphins, are prepping for the 2020 season with the tough circumstances going on this NFL offseason due to the pandemic.

In that piece, the two discussed how they’re working together to improve, while also not trying to give away any secrets… considering now they’re both AFC East rivals, after all. But also mentioned is how Ferguson has invited two of his newer Bills comrades to workout with the brothers.

Rookie kicker Tyler Bass drives two hours from South Carolina to meet with the brothers in Smyrna, Ga. Along with Bass, punter Kaare Vedvik is also joining the crew, but took it a step further. He used to drive from Birmingham, Ala, about a two and a half hour trip according to the report, but now Vedvik actually moved to a closer location.

Vedvik signed with the Bills earlier this offseason and will compete with Corey Bojorquez for Buffalo’s punting job. Bass, the team’s sixth-round pick, will compete with Stephen Hauschka for kicking duties. The two new guys appear to be going an extra mile to meetup with some of their new teammates while prepping to hopefully find full-time jobs with the Bills in 2020. But don’t think for a second the two incumbents aren’t working, too. They could all likely be there, but the ongoing pandemic is making travel difficult.

Both of these spots will be training camp battles to watch later this summer for the Bills.

 

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Isaiah Hodgins, Tyler Bass, Dane Jackson sign with Bills

The Buffalo Bills have three players from their rookie draft class under contract, according to The Houston Chronicle. 

The Buffalo Bills have three players from their rookie draft class under contract, according to The Houston Chronicle.

Sixth-round picks in receiver Isaiah Hodgins and kicker Tyler Bass have signed on the dotted line with the Bills, while seventh-round cornerback Dane Jackson did as well.

Bass will go head-to-head with Stephen Hauschka for kicking duties in Buffalo during training camp. Hodgins and Jackson will compete for depth spots at their respectively playmaker positions.

Hodgins brings added size to the Bills at 6-foot-4 on the outside on offense. Jackson will compete for one of the final roster spots on the Bills in a packed cornerback room. Both players will likely have to prove their worth on special teams as well.

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New Bills kicker Tyler Bass has some trick-shot skills (video)

Buffalo Bills kicker Tyler Bass from 50 and 60 yards.

Tyler Bass vs. Stephen Hauschka will be a training camp battle for the Buffalo Bills in 2020.

While teams, including the Bills, often bring in competition at the kicking spot every training camp, this one has a bit different spin. Bass wasn’t a free agent signee or UDFA. The Bills used a draft pick on the Georgia Southern product.

Could that give him a leg-up (pun intended) on the competition with Hauschka? Certainly this will come down to performance, regardless.

But having said that, Bass has some pretty cool trick shots, of sorts, in his back-pocket.

In December 2018, Bass posted video of these two massively long kicks. Of course, these won’t help him in games since the scenarios are completely different. But Bass hits two kicks from 50-plus yards barely moving.

Check them out here:

 

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Bills 2020 NFL draft class ranked 2nd in return on investment

In recent years, The Athletic has used a tool dubbed the “Consensus Big Board Draft Rankings.” 

In recent years, The Athletic has used a tool dubbed the “Consensus Big Board Draft Rankings.”

It’s a bit of a complex system that’s based off of compiling the opinion of more than 60 NFL draft evaluators and pegs prospects into one final big board based on the findings. So kind like a final prospect ranking chart combining the thoughts of all those “experts” melted into one.

Using that, The Athletic reflected on the 2020 NFL Draft. Calculating that into another detailed formula which involves the value of individuals picks held by NFL teams, the outlet pegs which draft picks were “steals” and which were “reaches.”

After using that blueprint  for every NFL team and stacking them up against one another, the Bills’ 2020 draft haul to be the one that will have the second-best “return on investment” in the future.

In regard to the Bills’ draft specifically, one player wasn’t touted as one of the best of the bunch:

As for Buffalo, San Francisco and Houston, there are three different stories. Analysts were high on Buffalo’s draft but not nearly high enough — Buffalo gained value with every single pick except kicker Tyler Bass. A first-round talent in the second, a third-round talent in the fifth and a pair of fifth-round talents in the seventh highlight their draft.

Additionally, individual picks that were pegged steals, which would have gained the Bills the most stock here. Maybe a bit of a surprise, it’s quarterback Jake Fromm, Buffalo’s fifth-round pick. Meanwhile, Bass did appear as one of the biggest reaches of the draft.

 

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Watch the new Bills kicker nail a 50-yard field goal with no steps, and a 60-yarder with one step

Tyler Bass has a LEG on him.

The Bills have brought in a new kicker this offseason, selecting Tyler Bass in the sixth round of the NFL Draft out of Georgia Southern. Bass will presumably replace Steven Hauschka, who struggled with the Bills last season.

Bass also has an absolute cannon of a leg, apparently. In a clip that I still don’t quite believe, Bass appears to hit a 50-yard field goal … without taking any steps beforehand. He then appears to hit a 60-yard field goal, by taking just one step. I … did not think this was a thing a human being could do.

I pulled a hip flexor just watching this clip. I am physically in pain. What on Earth.

If the Bills ever get in a situation where they need him to hit a field goal with no run-up, they are SET. Why this would happen? I have no idea. But they are going to be ready for it.

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2020 NFL Draft: Grading the Bills’ Day 3 picks

Here are the grades for the Buffalo’s draft picks on Saturday. 

The Buffalo Bills added some intriguing pieces to their roster on the third day of the 2020 NFL Draft. These prospects will be battling for a roster spot, undoubtedly pushing veterans for snaps this fall. With the uncertainty of training camp this summer, which is where these players usually make their first mark for their team, these players have an uncertain road ahead.

Here are the grades for the Buffalo’s draft picks on Saturday:

UCF Knights wide receiver Gabriel Davis. Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Round 4 | No. 128 | WR Gabriel Davis | Central Florida

Grade: B+

This is a very good value pick at this point in the draft for the Bills. Davis has the frame that is largely missing in the Bills’ receiving corps. At 6-foot-3, 216 pounds, the Central Florida wideout can use his size to win contested catches. He is a vertical threat for the team, even though he isn’t necessarily a flat-out burner. Davis does a good job of using his frame to gain position inside defenders. He had a stellar junior season, catching 72 passes for 1,241 receiving yards and 12 touchdown receptions.

Davis doesn’t necessarily have positional versatility at this point. He played mostly on the left side of the formation at Central Florida. His ascent up the depth chart will depend on how quickly hie expands his expertise at running an expanded route tree.

The pick further creates a bit of a logjam at the bottom of the Bills wide receiver depth chart. Isaiah McKenzie, Robert Foster, Andre Holmes, Duke Williams, and Ray-Ray McCloud III will challenge for roles in the fall.

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Buffalo Bills full 2020 NFL Draft class

Full list of the Buffalo Bills’ 2020 NFL Draft class and picks.

The 2020 NFL Draft has come and gone for the Buffalo Bills. It took a little bit to hear their name, but the Bills finally made some picks.

And to many, Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane made his seven total selections count. Despite not having a first-round pick, the two sixth-round picks gave Beane and the Bills their full load of seven picks in the seven-round draft process.

So here it is, your full Bills 2020 draft class:

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Instant analysis: A true competition? Bills nab kicker Tyler Bass

With their first of two slated picks in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Bills added competition for Stephen Hauschka by selecting K Tyler Bass of Georgia Southern. 

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With the first of two slated picks in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Bills added competition for Stephen Hauschka by selecting K Tyler Bass of Georgia Southern.

Bass finished his four-year career for the Eagles going 54-of-68 on field goal attempts (79.41 percent), with a long of 50 yards.

Bass was a semi-finalist for the Lou Groza Award in his junior season and ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper has him as the No. 1 kicker on his big board.

Bass was invited to play in the annual showcase Senior Bowl game in Mobile, Alabama, and caught the attention of NFL scouts in attendance. He shined in practices, booting a 55-yarder that would have been good from 60 yards-plus. In the game, he kicked field goals of 41 and 50 yards and was 4-of-4 on extra points.

<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Another Georgia Southern Eagle Tyler Bass having an impressive impact at the senior bowl. Matt Patricia couldn’t help but let him break it down! <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/SeniorBowl?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#SeniorBowl</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/GATALifestyle?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@GATALifestyle</a> <a href=”https://t.co/mEUDScorOv”>pic.twitter.com/mEUDScorOv</a></p>&mdash; Oliver Davis II (@I_Am_OD3) <a href=”https://twitter.com/I_Am_OD3/status/1220079783922499591?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>January 22, 2020</a></blockquote> https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Using a draft pick to select a kicker would indicate the Bills are willing to move on from Stephen Hauschka should the veteran struggle during camp and the preseason. There is no doubt, the Bills are expecting a fierce competition this summer. Since the Bills used a draft pick on bass, that indicates they’ll certainly be giving him a realistic look.

 

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Bills start sixth round of 2020 Draft with kicker Tyler Bass

The Bills welcomed kicker Tyler Bass to Orchard park with the No. 188 overall pick. 

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The Buffalo Bills will see themselves get to seven-total picks at the 2020 NFL Draft in the sixth round. Despite not having a first round, Buffalo holds two in Round 6 and started off those two picks with another interesting one.

The Bills welcomed kicker Tyler Bass to Orchard park with the No. 188 overall pick.

Bass comes to the Bills and his most-obvious competition is going to be Stephen Hauschka, the Bills’ incumbent kicker. But kickers don’t often get drafted. So what gives?

Well, Bass is the reigning Lou Groza Award Winner, the award handed out to the best college football kicker, so he’s certainly going to give Hauschka a run for his Hausch-money.

Over his four-year college career, Bass went 54-for-68 kicking (79.41 conversion percent). His long was also a 50 yarder.

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