The Buffalo Bills will have a kicker in their season debut Sunday night.
Buffalo signed 4-year-old veteran Matt Prater to its practice squad Thursday amid Tyler Bass’ ongoing injury concerns.
Prater, who has kicked for the Arizona Cardinals the past three seasons, has been in the NFL since 2007. He ranks 15th on the list of NFL points and has the record for most made field goals of 50-plus yards.
Prater is best known for his tenure with the Denver Broncos, where he kicked from 2007-13. He made the Pro Bowl in 2013 and set the then-NFL record for longest field goal in NFL history, a 64-yarder, against the Tennessee Titans that year.
Prater has also kicked for the Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions over his 254-game NFL career. He was a Pro Bowler for the Lions in 2016.
The Bills will host the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium on Sunday Night Football.
Why Did The Bills Sign Matt Prater?
The Bills needed insurance for Bass, who is still dealing with left-hip and groin injuries. He appeared at the top of Buffalo’s injury report, with his status for Sunday listed as “unspecified.”
So even though Buffalo worked out three kickers earlier this week — none of whom was Prater — it signed the veteran kicker just in case Bass is unable to go, which is looking increasingly likely.
Bass kicked in one preseason game, Buffalo’s finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. and went 3 for 4 on extra points and 2 for 2 on field goals. But prior to the hip and groin issues, Bass had also been dealing with a pelvis injury that kept him out of the Bills’ first two games.
Still, the Bills released Caden Davis last month with the hope of Bass being ready to go in time for Week 1. Backup running back Ray Davis even kicked an extra point in Buffalo’s preseason loss to the New York Giants on Aug. 9.
Can Matt Prater Still Kick?
Prater is keeping those of us of a certain age feel young, but he is only the second-oldest active kicker in the NFL this year — only quarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Pittsburgh Steelers is older.
But even though he went 16 for 16 last year — 10 for 10 on extra points and 6 for 6 on field goals — there are concerns about his age and fitness. A left knee injury ended Prater’s season after just four games, and he was unable to latch on with an NFL team — the Cardinals replaced him with Chad Ryland, who kicked in the desert a year ago while Prater was on injured reserve.
Still, Prater is just one year removed from a 60-plus-yard field goal — he made a 62-yarder against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 24, 2023 — and even kicked in Orchard Park in 2024. Bills fans may remember Prater going 2 for 2 on field goals and 2 for 2 on extra points in Buffalo’s 34-28 win over the Cardinals in Week 1.
Prater made his lone kick of 50-plus yards, a 57-yarder against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2 in 2024, and still boasts an 83.6 career field goal percentage and 97.3 extra-point rate. The latter mark is better than Bass’ career percentage of 96.4.
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