Any plans the Buffalo Bills may have had to keep veteran kicker Matt Prater stashed on the practice squad were dashed after his heroics on Sunday.
Prater nailed three field goals including the game-winner in the team’s improbable 41-40 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football, capping off one of the franchise’s most dramatic comebacks of all time.
The move may have put a target on Prater for other teams, and the Bills responded with a roster move on Tuesday.
Matt Prater Earns Roster Promotion
The Bills initially signed Prater last Thursday after placing regular kicker Tyler Bass on injured reserve. The team initially signed Prater to the practice squad, with SI.com’s Alex Brasky reporting that they likely intended to use the three allotted elevations before deciding what move to make next.
“If the Bills were to sign Prater or another vested veteran to the active roster ahead of the Week 1 contest, those players would have to have their salaries guaranteed,” Brasky wrote. “Rather than take that route, Buffalo will provide Prater with a game-day check before sending him back to the practice squad at the conclusion of this weekend’s contest.
“It’s a maneuver that is not often seen, but with the concern surrounding Bass’ injury increasing this week, it left the Bills in a tough position.”
But after Prater’s performance on Sunday, the Bills faced warnings that they might not be able to sneak the 41-year-old kicker back onto the practice squad. Prater would have been open to poaching, with some teams already cutting kickers and hitting the market for replacements.
Reporter Kevin Massare warned that the Cleveland Browns, having already cut their kicker, could likely poach Prater from the Bills.
“There was some bad kicking in the NFL (see Cleveland),” Massare wrote in a post on X. “No way Matt Prater sits on the practice squad any longer than today”
The Bills acted on the warnings on Tuesday, announcing that they signed Prater to the active roster. He will likely remain for at least the next three games, with Bass not eligible to return until at least Week 5.
Matt Prater Gets Warm Buffalo Welcome
Prater said he was coaching his son’s football team when he got the call from the Bills, then hopped on a red-eye flight to Buffalo. He met his new teammates just three days before the season opener.
“Honestly, I met him in the locker room two days ago,” quarterback Josh Allen said after the game. “He showed me a video of his son playing quarterback, that’s how we met. And today before the game, he comes up to me in the locker room before he even [took] the field. He just said, ‘Hey, I promise you I’m going to give you everything I got tonight.’”
After Allen led a frantic comeback, with the Bills erasing a 15-point lead with three scores in the final five minutes of the game, he found Prater on the field in a frenzied celebration.
“Hey! Hey!” Allen shouted as he sought out and then embraced Prater. “Welcome to Buffalo, baby!”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Bills Forced to Make Abrupt Roster Move on Surprise Star Player appeared first on Heavy Sports.