28-Year-Old Kicker Has Been on Injured Reserve Since Week 1

The Buffalo Bills are getting along just fine with 41-year-old Matt Prater as their fill-in kicker.

The two-time Pro Bowler is a perfect 9-for-9 on extra points, and he’s made 7 of his 8 field goals this season — none bigger than the 32-yarder he drilled as time expired in Buffalo’s thrilling 41-40 Week 1 win over the Baltimore Ravens, which capped off a dramatic 15-point fourth-quarter comeback.

And while the Bills are likely content with Prater handling their placekicking duties for now, the team would presumably like to get back strong-legged Tyler Bass sooner rather than later.

The 28-year-old Bass has yet to play this season after suffering a hip/groin injury during the preseason which landed him on injured reserve before the season opener, paving the way for Prater to be signed off the couch just three days before the Ravens matchup.

This week’s home tilt against the New Orleans Saints marks the fourth game Bass will miss, meaning he’s eligible for the team to open up his 21-day window to return to play. But just because his stint on IR may be coming to an end, that doesn’t exactly means Bass will be back in Week 5.

In fact, speaking to reporters on Wednesday, head coach Sean McDermott gave a somewhat cryptic update on his star kicker and the likely timeline for his return.

“[He’s] moving in the right direction, but don't know at this point,” McDermott said of his longtime kicker. “Is it going to be next week? Will it be two weeks? Three weeks? We'll see.”

Prater has been solid in relief duty, with his only miss coming on a 39-yard attempt in Buffalo’s 31-21 “Thursday Night Football” win over the Miami Dolphins last week.

Counting his run with the Bills this season, Prater has played in just seven total games across the last two seasons.

Bass, on the other hand, has missed just one game since entering the league in 2020. He’s made 84.5% of his 55 field goal attempts and 96.3% of his 274 extra point attempts.