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The horrific allegations against former Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza are far more significant right now than anything else. There is also an important conversation around the Bills handling of the entire saga that is worth having.
Football is secondary when terrible real-life events happen, but the NFL always goes on. And right now, Buffalo plays the opening game of the entire NFL season on Thursday, September 8, at 8:20 pm ET vs. the Los Angeles Rams.
Cutting Matt Araiza (after giving him the starting job and cutting Matt Haak) leaves Sean McDermott, Brandon Bean, and the organization without a punter. The Bills punter options are limited after the Indianapolis Colts signed Haak. Backup quarterback Matt Barkley punted (surprisingly well) in Buffalo’s final preseason game, but that isn’t a legitimate solution.
Here are four Bills punter options to replace Matt Araiza.
Bills punter options
Marquette King
The Oakland Raiders signed punter Marquette King as an undrafted rookie out of Fort Valley State in 2013. He punted for the team for five seasons, leading the league in yards per punt (48.9) in 2013 and in punts (109) and punting yards (4,930) in 2014. King even made second-team All-Pro in 2016.
King has a big leg, which the Bills want, and King wants the job. He openly campaigned on his Twitter account for the Bills to give him a shot, and the franchise has reportedly reached out to see if he’s still in game shape.
It’s a fair question as Marquette King hasn’t punted in the NFL since a four-game stint with the Denver Broncos in 2018. However, judging by the shirtless video he posted of himself holding for a field goal, the 33-year-old looks like he could be in the league tomorrow.
Despite the intriguing interest from both sides and the possible fit, skill-wise, Marquette King is probably the least like Bills punter option on this list.
Brett Kern
The best Bills punter options will likely be punters who were in an NFL training camp, lost a battle with a more talented (or simply younger and cheaper) punter, and are now on the open market. Brett Kern fits this bill.
Kern is a 36-year-old kicker who’s punted for 14 NFL seasons, with 12 and a half of those being for the Tennessee Titans.
The former Toledo Rocket led the league in yards per punt (49.7) in 2017 and has made two Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams (one first-team, one second-team). After more than a decade in the NFL, Kern lost his job to undrafted rookie Ryan Stonehouse in training camp. Now, the veteran is a prime candidate to replace Matt Araiza.
And in addition to getting another NFL job, there is another reason Brett Kern might want to become a Bill. Kern is a born and raised Grand Island, New York native. Grand Island is an island on the Niagara River between Western New York and Canada. Kern’s high school is just 13 miles north of downtown Buffalo and 25 miles away from the Bills’ stadium in Orchard Park.
Kevin Huber or Drue Chrisman
The reason this list is four Bills punter options to replace Matt Araiza and not three Bills punter options is that the third (and likely best) option comes down to two players, only one of whom will be available.
Right now, veteran punter Kevin Huber and youngster Drue Chrisman are both competing for the starting job in Cincinnati Bengals training camp.
Huber is a 13-year NFL veteran who’s spent his entire career with his hometown Cincinnati Bengals. After making it to a Super Bowl last season, though, the franchise brought in competition for the 37-year-old.
That competition is with 25-year-old fellow Cincinnati native Drue Chrisman. The 2021 undrafted rookie out of Ohio State didn’t make the team last year, but the Bengals brought him in again this season. The young punter boomed a 65-yard punt in the last preseason game, which shows his impressive leg strength. It’s not exactly Matt Araiza’s 82-yard blast, but it is what the Bills are looking for.
The loser of this Bengals kicking competition should become the front-running Bills punter option to replace Matt Araiza after the final 53-man rosters are due on Tuesday, August 30, at 4 pm ET.
