Tyler Bass Kicks Field Goals at Bills Camp for First Time Since 2025 Injury
Tyler Bass finally got his shot in front of the cameras. The Buffalo Bills kicker took his first public field goal and kickoff reps of training camp on Thursday at St. John Fisher University, marking a real step forward after a lost 2025 season.
The Bills have had their share of camp headlines this week, from an injury scare with C.J. Gardner-Johnson that turned out to be less serious than feared to a training camp that’s produced more than one padded-practice scuffle. Bass’s return offered a different kind of story: a veteran finally showing what months of quiet rehab work had built toward.
According to ESPN, Bass went 5-of-7 on field goals Thursday, with both misses coming from 45 yards or beyond. ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg called it a significant first for Bass, who had kicked just once before in a practice session open to the media, back in the spring.
Bills Intentionally Held Bass Back During Camp
The delay wasn’t about setbacks. It was the plan. Buffalo’s coaching staff eased Bass back into full team drills rather than rushing him, and Bass said he noticed the difference.
“Just the whole organization, I think, Joe [Brady], Jeff … have done a great job of just integrating me at the right pace,” Bass said. “And just letting me be the best version of myself, and that’s where I’m seeing a lot of growth in.”
Special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers, in his first year with Buffalo after eight seasons running the Arizona Cardinals’ special teams, has taken the same patient approach with Bass’s two new holders this summer. Punter Mitch Wishnowsky returns after handling holding duties last year, while seventh-round rookie Tommy Doman Jr. is learning the job for the first time. “It starts from ground zero,” Rodgers said of the rebuilding process. “He’s working with two new holders right now, that’s a part of that comfort, so it’s going to be a rep thing.”
Bass is the only kicker currently on Buffalo’s 90-man roster, a decision that head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane have leaned into as a vote of confidence. Bass said the trust cuts both ways. “Having belief in me that they have in me gives me confidence and more belief in myself,” he said.
A Long Road Back From Surgery
The injury that wiped out Bass’s 2025 season started as a nagging issue and turned into something much bigger. A hip and groin problem that had bothered him dating back to the previous summer eventually required surgery to repair a sports hernia. Buffalo placed him on injured reserve before the 2025 opener and turned to street free agent Matt Prater, who ended up sticking around for the full season and delivering a game-winning kick along the way.
Bass didn’t sugarcoat how the year away felt. “It was tough, it was tough,” he said, according to Buffalo Rumblings. The rehab process moved in stages once it began. “It probably took a few months before I started kicking, but we started with baby steps,” Bass said. “20 yarders, 10 yarders, kind of worked from there. And then it wasn’t really until like midway through OTAs, where I started really feeling like myself again.”
He’s also carrying a new number this season. Bass gave up No. 2 to wide receiver DJ Moore and switched to 16, a nod to his college days. “College number, I’m really excited; a lot of good memories with it,” he said.
Career Numbers and the Kick Buffalo Hasn’t Forgotten
Bass enters his seventh NFL season with a track record that made him one of the more reliable legs in the league before the injury. Over his first five healthy years, he connected on 84.5% of his field goal attempts, going 131-for-155, and made 264 of 274 extra points. His longest kick, a 61-yarder, came in 2024.
| Category | Bass’s Career Numbers |
|---|---|
| Field Goals Made | 131 of 155 (84.5%) |
| Extra Points Made | 264 of 274 (96.4%) |
| Longest Field Goal | 61 yards (2024) |
| Games Missed (2025) | All 17, sports hernia/hip-groin surgery |
None of that erases the kick most Bills fans still remember. In the divisional round of the 2023 playoffs, Bass missed a 44-yard attempt with under two minutes left that would have tied a game Buffalo eventually lost 27-24 to the Kansas City Chiefs. The kick sailed wide right. “I hit a good ball, but it didn’t work out,” Bass said afterward, according to ESPN. “I feel terrible. I love this team. This one hurts bad. I’ve got to do a better job.”
The Bills open camp fields most days with a light breeze rolling off the practice complex at St. John Fisher, the kind of wind that makes a kicker’s job harder to judge from the sideline — a detail that matters more this week than usual, given how much of camp has been about watching Bass’s leg for the first time in a year.
What It Means Going Forward
Buffalo’s Super Bowl ambitions haven’t changed for 2026, and neither has the math on close games. A team built around Josh Allen and an explosive offense is going to find itself in situations where three points decide everything. Bass looking sharp in his first public reps is a good sign. It’s also one practice. The bigger test comes when the games count, and Buffalo won’t know for certain what it has until Bass is kicking in front of a packed Highmark Stadium with a game on the line.
