ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — You’ve got Buffalo Bills questions. I have answers. Let’s do this.
Playoffs3inarow: Who will be our punter this year?
Vic Carucci: The fact (at least as I write this) that it’s still Matt Araiza tells me the Buffalo Bills apparently don’t see an open-and-shut case against keeping him in the wake of a civil lawsuit accusing him and two former San Diego State teammates of gang-raping a 17-year-old girl last fall.
For now, Araiza is the only punter the Bills have for Friday night’s preseason-finale against the Carolina Panthers. However, there’s plenty of time before the Sept. 8 regular-season opener against the Los Angeles Rams for the Bills to figure out whether to move on from a player who is the subject of doing something that, if true, should not allow him to spend another second on their roster … or even as a free man.
The Bills said in a statement Thursday they were “recently made are of a civil complaint involving Matt.” Assuming “recently” wasn’t before they selected Araiza with a sixth-round draft pick last April, the obvious question is why weren’t they aware in their pre-draft vetting?
Such off-field transgressions typically lead some teams to remove a player from their draft boards. Given the considerable resources the Bills and the rest of the NFL teams have to investigate the backgrounds of draft-eligible players, there should be no excuse for the information to have been missed.
The Bills saying they “conducted a thorough examination of this matter” is also curious, because presumably that happened before they decided earlier in the week to release incumbent punter Matt Hauck and go with Araiza. If the team found something that convinces them of Araiza’s innocence, then General Manager Brandon Beane and coach Sean McDermott owe it to everyone connected with the franchise and in its fan base to be thorough in explaining why the rookie is still on the roster. This one can’t be brushed aside with vague comments.
One answer that no one should accept – to borrow from Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, who mentioned Deshaun Watson being a great player in answering a question about why his club would be ready to welcome the return of the quarterback from his 11-game suspension for repeated improper encounters with female message therapists – is that Araiza is too talented to let go.
No, he’s a punter. His ultra-powerful leg doesn’t change the fact punters are easily punted, especially by a team with an explosive enough offense to punt infrequently.
Otherwise, bringing Araiza into the fold looks like a major mistake on the part of the Bills. It already places a significant stain on their judgement that will only be compounded the longer they stick with the so-called “Punt God.”
That big dark cloud that has suddenly formed over a season offering the greatest hope for success in Bills history isn’t going to disappear on its own.
Ed Helinski: Besides Reggie Gilliam’s new contract and maybe one for Jordan Poyer, who else might get extension deals before the regular season? How about Tremaine Edmunds, Ed Oliver, Dawson Knox and Devin Singletary? Or might the crazy money dry up in trying to sign all these guys?
Vic Carucci: With the $5.6 million in cap relief gained by reportedly restructuring the contract of Dion Dawkins, the Bills should have enough room to get something done with at least one player, likely Poyer, soon.
For the 2022 season, the Bills have $10 million in cap space. That conceivably would allow them to extend the contract of one or two players besides Poyer. I would say Oliver and Knox fall into that category of those who might receive pay hikes in the near future, but you can’t forget that a reserve of cap room is necessary to replace players who they might lose to injury.
Scott: What’s your record prediction and final outcome for the season?
Vic Carucci: I can see them going 14-3 and securing home-field advantage in the playoffs. As the previous two seasons have shown, the Bills find a way to trip up when they’re on the road in the postseason.
I think the Bills are built to get to and win the Super Bowl. However, I like their chances much better if the AFC Championship Game were played at Highmark Stadium.
Dave Universal: I see New England coming in last place in the AFC East. Agree?
Vic Carucci: No. I still see the New York Jets, despite what they’ve done to improve their roster, as the bottom-feeders of the division.
That said, I don’t view the Patriots as a serious contender for the division title. I don’t believe Mac Jones is anything more than a mediocre quarterback.
Look for the Pats and Miami Dolphins to fight it out for second place, and I think the Dolphins merit a slight edge between those teams.