Pittsford, N.Y. —When it comes to Buffalo Bills training camp storylines, the punter competition between rookie Matt Araiza and veteran Matt Haack has been one of the hottest topics among fans for months.
On Tuesday morning the Bills held the third practice of camp and the punters finally went head to head. The practice was closed to the public, which means thousands of fans who were able to attend the first two days missed the drama.
Haack had eight punts and Araiza had seven in a live setting with returners. The first came off the foot of Haack, who showcased the one part of his game that is significantly better than the rookie’s: Hang time. Haack put on high in the air that had decent distance. Marquez Stevenson struggled to track it and muffed it when it landed. Haack boomed about a 60-yarder before yielding the field to Araiza.
Araiza’s leg is strong and even on the punts that don’t look great, the power is evident. His first punt was OK but the second one was a line drive with not nearly enough hang time. The third punt was an absolute bomb and it caused Tavon Austin to muff it for a moment before picking it up quick before the coverage arrived. Haack had two punts of his final five that seemed to hang in the air forever. On one punt, Isaiah McKenzie tried to track it but at the last second he had to just duck out of the way to avoid a potential muff. Araiza sent his next punt on a line drive out of the end zone. Not ideal.
Round one of camp in the punting department has to go to Haack. But that’s not all Arazia did on Tuesday. He finally held the ball for kicker Tyler Bass. He held it eight times throughout practice and every one was virtually perfect. Bass didn’t miss a single kick. The ball was moved to different hash marks throughout the field goal drill and Araiza proved up to the challenge. That part of his performance was arguably even more important than the punting. But Haack isn’t going to give up the job easily.
2. Josh Allen visibly frustrated as offense struggles
It’s been a clunky start to camp for the offense - Ken Dorsey’s first as offensive coordinator. By the time the Bills had run through a few 11-on-11 drills on Tuesday, Allen’s frustration was obvious. He had two straight balls batted at the line of scrimmage by defensive linemen. Tim Settle was the first to do it. Allen took off his helmet and walked away from the group to collect his thoughts. When he got back in he completed a pass to Devin Singletary and then James Cook. But the next one was tipped by Jordan Phillips.
There were some good throws on the day. But it seemed like it took two or three bad plays for the offense to find success through the air. To be fair, the defense is playing at an extremely high level to start camp. Bills safety Micah Hyde isn’t surprised at how the defense has played.
“We knew coming into this, obviously through OTAs and minicamp, that the defense was gonna be a problem,” he said. “So, those guys up front, they’re working. They’ve got great coaches, great players out there. We know that there’s going to be some opportunities for us on the back end because of it.”
Allen’s best pass of the day may have been to Gabriel Davis, who was locked up one-on-one with rookie Kaiir Elam. Allen, feeling the pressure, stepped up in the pocket and delivered a strike to Davis down the field.
The pads don’t come on until Saturday, and it’s probably a safe bet that Allen, Stefon Diggs and the offense will spend extra time getting on the same page in the coming days.
3. James Cook looks poised for important role
The speed has been evident since rookie minicamp, but now that Cook is starting to play against the entire roster it’s becoming clear he has a different burst. He made two plays on the day that would have received a huge cheer if the stands were filled. The first came on a short pass from Allen. Cook turned up field, made one quick move and finished off the play by lowering his shoulder on cornerback Dane Jackson.
The third-year corner didn’t see him coming, but the play got the offense riled up on the sideline. The next play came on a casual run to the left side. He ran it all the way out wide and then just exploded up field and forced the defender to lose his footing for a moment. He can change directions so effortlessly. It’ll be fun to watch if his quickness holds up when the hits are flying.
4. Stefon Diggs vs. Kaiir Elam highlight 1-on-1 drill
The Bills held their first one-on-ones of camp and the premier attraction was Diggs vs. Elam. The rep was a battle. They went stride for stride down the field with the rookie applying excellent coverage. The ball fell incomplete but both players competed through the rep.
Taron Johnson looks to be in mid-season form after another pass breakup working against Isaiah McKenzie. Khalil Shakir showed off his impressive footwork with a double move on Cam Lewis to break open for a catch.
Safety Damar Hamlin had the highlight of the day when he was locked up one-on-one against tight end Quinton Morris -- who had another catch in 11-on-11 today. Hamlin stuck on Morris down the field and got into position to make a play. He tipped the ball with his right hand and kept Morris from interrupting the play with his left. He picked off the pass and celebrated going the other way. Josh Thomas had a great pass breakup working against Reggie Gilliam. Cook absolutely burned past rookie Baylon Spector.
5. A.J. Epenesa starting to pop
Epenesa had a second straight strong practice. The third-year pass rusher looks quicker and more explosive coming off the line. That’s impressive considering one of the strengths of his game has been his get off. Epenesa recorded what probably would have been a sack in a real game on Allen after beating left tackle Dion Dawkins with a combo move. The Bills still believe in Epenesa despite a lack of consistency in his first two seasons.
“I think for whatever happened (last year), he lost some confidence a little bit,” Bills general manager Brandon Beane said last week. “Maybe things didn’t go. He had a great game in Miami in Week 2 and then just kind of rode the roller coaster. But I think he is in the best mental, physical state he’s been.”
6. Ed Oliver takes Tommy Doyle to school
Oliver could get a paragraph in almost any practice report. He has at least one play every day that just makes you say wow. He was locked up with Tommy Doyle one-on-one during 11-on-11 and he overwhelmed the second-year tackle/guard. He had his hands on Doyle almost immediately and then was able to quickly move to his inside and blow past him for the sack.
7. Baylon Spector makes big play -- O.J. Howard update
Spector made his first splash play of camp in a one-on-one coverage opportunity against Howard. Case Keenum fired a pass in the intermediate part of the field to the tight end and Spector ran with Howard stride for stride. It looked like the tight end was going to make the catch but Spector knocked it out at the last moment. Spector and fellow rookie Terrel Bernard both look comfortable in most situations they’ve been put in during camp so far.
Howard continues to be underwhelming and had one of the worst drops of camp so far. Allen was trying to get something going late in practice and he saw Howard break open down the right sideline. Howard beat the coverage and the ball hit him right in the hands but he dropped it.
8. Jamison Crowder & Jake Kumerow miss practice
Crowder continues to deal with “soreness and tightness,” according to Bills coach Sean McDermott. Kumerow missed practice for the same reason. With those two out of action, Isaiah McKenzie continues to get a lot of work and Shakir continues to impress. He made another outstanding catch in coverage for a second day in a row.
The Bills practice again on Wednesday and that will be open to the public at 9:45 a.m.
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