Bills GM Brandon Beane on worries over kicker Tyler Bass: Relax
“I think we just got to relax and give him a chance and remain confident in him," Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane said. "And he knows. ... He doesn't need Twitter or the fans or whoever telling him, he knows. He's his own worst critic."
Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane offered his perspective on the training camp inconsistency of place-kicker Tyler Bass on Wednesday.
In a word: relax.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane remains confident that kicker Tyler Bass will get back on track. Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
Beane said the Bills did not look at adding a kicker to the practice squad after the team cut the roster to 53 on Tuesday.
“I get the question. I do. I understand,” Beane said. “If he had a short history here, probably would have (signed someone). But if you look at his career, I know what’s fresh in everybody’s mind. I get it. We’re all human. What have you done for me lately? And the end of the season, he’d be the first to tell you, it was not the way it should go, or he wanted to go.
“But we’re confident in him, his teammates are confident him,” Beane added. “I think we just got to relax and give him a chance and remain confident in him. And he knows. ... He doesn’t need Twitter or the fans or whoever telling him, he knows. He’s his own worst critic. He works like crazy on his craft. Nobody wants it more than him. Nobody’s working harder. And again, we’re very confident in him. Obviously, he’ll have to go out there and do it, though.”
Bass was just 8 of 14 on field-goal tries on Aug. 20 and 21 leading up to Saturday’s preseason finale against Carolina. He missed a 51-yard attempt against the Panthers, and coach Sean McDermott acknowledged, “Those are ones he’s gotta make.”
Bass was 6 of 7 overall on field-goal tries in preseason games, although only one was longer than 31 yards. Bass was 7 of 8 in the Aug. 9 practice at Highmark Stadium.
Here were the other highlights of Beane’s news briefing:
On Mitch Trubisky. Beane did not rule out the No. 2 quarterback to be available for the opener against Arizona on Sept. 8. Trubisky suffered a knee sprain on Aug. 17 in Pittsburgh.
“I think Mitch is getting better, he’s improving,” Beane said. “We are not there at that point to put him on IR. We want to give him every chance. Now, he hasn’t gone through a practice yet, so nothing’s off the table, but we’re cautiously optimistic that we won’t need to do that.”
Former Jets quarterback Mike White, seen being sacked by the Bills’ Greg Rousseau in 2022, was signed to Buffalo’s practice squad. Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
On quarterback Mike White. The three-year veteran was signed to the practice squad after being released by Miami. White started for the New York Jets against the Bills in games in 2021 and 2022. He passed for 251 yards in the former (a 45-17 Bills win) and 268 yards in the latter (a 20-12 Bills win).
“The thing I always liked about Mike and respected about him was whether he started the game or whether he came in the game, he came in guns ablazing and no fear, not just Checkdown Charlie,” Beane said. “He really did a good job, some good things. ... You can tell he’s a very smart guy, processes well, loves the game, tough. I mean, for him to come back in that game (in 2022), some of the hits he took in that home game here really – I already respected him a lot, but it really raised my level of respect. This guy is out there laying it on the line.”
On new return man Brandon Codrington. The undrafted rookie from North Carolina Central was acquired from the New York Jets on Tuesday and steps into a key role with his new team. During the preseason for the Jets, he had six punt returns for 83 yards and two kickoff returns for 75 yards, including a 63-yarder.
“When you watch the film and then you saw it translate to what he did in the preseason, again for him, still a small NFL sample, but felt he made good decisions, fielded it cleanly,” Beane said. “We play in one of the hardest environments at home with the wind and all that, and that’ll be an adjustment for him, as well. ... He did a really nice job at Central and then backed it up this preseason over there with the Jets.”
On cutting rookie Daequan Hardy. The sixth-round pick subsequently was signed to the practice squad.
“Daequan is a young player, rookie, and just felt like his arrow was up, did some good things,” Beane said. “There’s a lot that goes into the punt return, and that was probably the main reason that we selected him late in the draft. He had shown some really good things at Penn State as a punt returner. But still probably cleaning up some decision-making, just all the things that go into that.”
On the team’s current injuries. Beane said he does not envision anyone on the 53-man roster going onto the injured reserve list. All of the Bills on the 53-man roster were on the practice field Wednesday, participating in some capacity except for cornerback Taron Johnson (sore quad). Trubisky was in a helmet, but not wearing shoulder pads.
On injured rookie offensive tackle Travis Clayton. “It’s a shoulder. He will not be able to return this year,” Beane said of the rookie seventh-round pick from England. “We’ve been rehabbing it. ... It’s something that may require surgery. We have been getting second and third opinions on that. ... We’re going to continue to work with him and hopeful that next year he’ll have a legit shot to help us.”
On the final cutdown. Beane indicated that Will Clapp, the six-year veteran signed as a free agent from the Los Angeles Chargers, was the last player on the roster bubble who was released. Clapp was added to the practice squad. Beane called Clapp “a last-minute release after we traded for the young man from the Jets.”
Practice squad finalized
Preseason success stories Frank Gore Jr. and Tyrell Shavers were among the players brought back to the practice squad, the Bills announced Wednesday.Gore, the undrafted rookie, led the Bills in rushing in preseason with 163 yards on 33 carries. Shavers, the 6-foot-4 second-year wideout, had a strong training camp.
Other offensive players signed to the practice squad were: White, Clapp, receivers K.J. Hamler and Deon Cain, tight end Zach Davidson, tackle Richard Gouraige and offensive lineman Mike Edwards.
Defensive players signed to the practice squad were: ends Kingsley Jonathan and Kameron Cline, tackles Eli Ankou and Branson Deen, cornerbacks Daequan Hardy and Te’Cory Couch and safety Kareem Jackson.
Jonathan, born in Nigeria, counts as an international player, which means the Bills can have 17 players on the practice squad (one more than standard). They still have one opening. Beane said the Bills have talked with receiver Jalen Vigil, who was among the final cuts of the Denver Broncos.
