Buffalo Rumblings
According to a report by Jordan Schultz, the Buffalo Bills brought in three veteran kickers for a workout on Thursday, August 28. The Bills reportedly worked out Eddy Piñeiro Jr., Zane Gonzalez, and Greg Joseph.
Piñeiro, 29, originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free-agent signing of the Las Vegas Raiders following the 2018 NFL Draft. He never kicked in an official game for the Raiders, as they traded him to the Chicago Bears in 2019. Piñeiro has also spent time with the Indianapolis Colts, Washington Commanders, New York Jets, and Carolina Panthers in his career. He’s made 88% of his field goals (111-for-126), including an impressive 11-for-14 mark from 50 yards or longer. He’s also hit 92% of his extra-point attempts, going 116-for-126 in his career.
Gonzalez, 30, was originally a seventh-round draft choice of the Cleveland Browns, which took him at No. 224 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. He’s kicked for the Browns, the Arizona Cardinals, the Detroit Lions, the Panthers, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Commanders during his career. In the regular season, he’s made 80% of his field goal attempts (96-for-120), including an 11-for-19 marks from fifty yards or longer. He’s 146-for-153 on extra point attempts, good for a 95% make rate.
Joseph, 31, is the most well-traveled kicker of the group in more ways than one. The Johannesburg, South Africa native moved to the United States at seven years old, and he kicked at Florida Atlantic University before joining the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent following the 2018 NFL Draft. He’s also been with the Browns, Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, Lions, New York Giants, Commanders, Jets, and 49ers throughout his career. He’s made 82% of his career field goal attempts (116-of-141), including 17-of-30 attempts from 50 yards or more. Joseph has also made 91% of his extra point attempts (157-of-173).
While Piñeiro doesn’t have any playoff experience, both Joseph and Gonzalez do. Joseph has hit both of his postseason field goal attempts and all 12 of his extra-point tries. Gonzalez, meanwhile, is 7-of-8 in the playoffs, with his lone miss coming from 44 yards out against the Lions in last year’s NFC Divisional Round. He made all eight of his extra-point attempts.
Buffalo’s placekicker, Tyler Bass, dealt with pelvic-area soreness for much of the summer. He tried five field goals in the Bills’ preseason finale, making four of the five kicks. The one he missed was a 26-yard try late in the fourth quarter of the scrimmage.
