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Tyler Bass

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Tyler Bass
refer to caption
Bass with the Buffalo Bills in 2021
No. 2 – Buffalo Bills
Position:Placekicker
Personal information
Born: (1997-02-14) February 14, 1997 (age 27)
Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:183 lb (83 kg)
Career information
High school:Dutch Fork
(Irmo, South Carolina)
College:Georgia Southern (2015–2019)
NFL draft:2020 / round: 6 / pick: 188
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 9, 2024
Field goals made:122
Field goals attempted:144
Field goal %:84.7
Longest field goal:61
Touchbacks:265
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Tyler Royce Bass (born February 14, 1997) is an American professional football placekicker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia Southern and was selected by the Bills in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL draft.

Early life

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Bass played high school football and soccer at Dutch Fork High School in Irmo, South Carolina. He credits his grandmother for convincing him to try out for the football team due to his strong soccer leg.[1] He committed to Georgia Southern on January 31, 2015.[2] He won the Chris Sailer award, awarded to the best high school football kicker, following his senior season.[3]

College career

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Bass was redshirted his true freshman year. He saw significant improvement in his redshirt junior season, making 19 of 21 field goal attempts and 45 of 45 extra point attempts.[4] During his last game at Georgia Southern, he began his practice of wearing eye black under only one eye as a shoutout to his grandmother.[5]

He participated in the 2020 Senior Bowl, making 2 field goals and 4 of 4 extra point attempts.[6]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span
5 ft 10+1⁄2 in
(1.79 m) 		185 lb
(84 kg) 		29+1⁄2 in
(0.75 m) 		8+3⁄4 in
(0.22 m)
All values from NFL Combine[7]

2020 season

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The Buffalo Bills selected Bass in the sixth round, 188th overall, of the 2020 NFL draft.[8] Bills special teams coordinator Heath Farwell revelated that he was still in Georgia during the COVID-19 pandemic and was able to attend Bass’s pre-draft workout when other pro days were being canceled.[9]

Bass signed a four-year, $3.475 million contract with the Bills on May 7, 2020.[10] He then gained national attention after posting practice videos of him kicking a 50-yard field goal without taking a single step toward the football and a 60-yard field goal with only one step.[11]

During a shortened training camp, Bass beat out incumbent placekicker Stephen Hauschka to gain the starting position, with the Bills cutting Hauschka on August 27, 2020.[12] Bass drove two and a half hours from South Carolina to Birmingham, Alabama for weekly training sessions with the team's long snapper and holder.[13]

During his professional debut against the New York Jets on September 13, 2020, Bass completed all three of his extra point attempts, but was 2 for 4 on field goal attempts. His first attempt, from 38 yards out, was subject to controversy as the ball appeared to have sailed above the upright, but was discounted. He then missed his second attempt from 34 yards before connecting from 22 and 19 yards.[14] Bass made his next four field goal attempts over the next five games, including a 48-yarder against the Kansas City Chiefs in week 6, before missing on a 52-yard attempt in the same game.[15] In the rematch against the Jets, Bass completed 6 of 8 field goal attempts, including a new career-long 53-yard attempt, scoring the only points of the game for Buffalo as the team won 18–10. Bass set several franchise records in that game, including the most field goal attempts attempted by a Bills kicker in one game.[16]

After making three of four field goals against the Seattle Seahawks in week 9 (with his lone miss being a 61-yard attempt), Bass converted all three of his field goal attempts against the Arizona Cardinals, with all of them being longer than 54 yards and his longest being 58 yards out. Bass became the first kicker in Bills history to make three field goals longer than 50 yards in one game, and just the second kicker in NFL history to make 3 field goals longer than 54 yards in the same game (the other being Kris Brown in 2007).[17]

Bass converted 28 of his 34 field goal attempts and 57 of his 59 extra points, totaling 141 points.[18] His 141 points broke Steve Christie's 1998 franchise-record of 140 points in a single season.[19] He also broke Scott Norwood's franchise records of extra points attempted and made in a single season.[20]

2021 season

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Bass was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for October 2021, making all of his extra point attempts while also converting all 10 of his field goal attempts.[21] In the 2021 season, Bass converted all 51 extra point attempts and 28 of 32 field goal attempts.[22]

2022 season

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Bass was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for November.[23] In the 2022 season, Bass converted 48 of 50 extra point attempts and 27 of 31 field goal attempts.[24] Bass converted all five extra point attempts and all three field goal attempts in the Bills' two postseason games.[25][26]

2023 season

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On April 20, 2023, Bass signed a four-year, $21 million extension with the Bills.[27][28] Bass was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September.[29]

In the Divisional Round of the 2023–24 NFL playoffs versus the Kansas City Chiefs, Bass missed a game-tying 44-yard field goal attempt with less than two minutes remaining, ultimately leading to Buffalo’s elimination from the playoffs.[30] This kick drew comparisons to a previous Bills kick known as Wide Right. Bass finished the season 24/29 on field goals.[31] Days after the loss to the Chiefs in the Divisional Round, Bass deactivated his social media accounts after getting bombarded with death threats and harassment from football fans.[32] Bills quarterback Josh Allen defended Bass' missed kick, saying the team should never have been in that situation to begin with.[33] Bass reactivated his social media on February 15.[34]

2024 season

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In Week 9, Bass set a new franchise record for longest field goal in Buffalo Bills history at 61 yards. He made the kick with 5 seconds left in the fourth quarter to win the game for Buffalo over Miami, 30–27. The kick came in a game in which Bass had otherwise struggled, in which Bass had missed an extra point and bounced another off an upright.[35][36]

Records and achievements

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Bills franchise records

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  • Longest field goal: 61 yards (Week 9, 2024)[35]
  • Most field goals attempted in a game: 8 (Week 7, 2020)[16]
  • Most field goals made in a game: 6, shared with Steve Christie (Week 7, 2020, Week 11, 2022)[16]
  • Most points scored in a single season: 141 (2020)[37]

References

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  1. ^ Bezjak, Lou (April 25, 2020). "'Crazy leg' and super grandma: How Dutch Fork's Tyler Bass emerged as top NFL prospect". The State. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  2. ^ Bass, Tyler (January 31, 2015). "Officially committed to Georgia Southern University #HailSouthern #GATA". @tbass_xvi. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  3. ^ "Dutch Fork's Tyler Bass earns award as top placekicker in nation". Cola Daily. February 28, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  4. ^ Kostensky, Ryan (January 20, 2019). "Bass named to the 2018 Chris Sailer Kicking College Football All-American list". The George-Anne. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  5. ^ Wojton, Nick (October 26, 2020). "The answer to the one question everyone has about Bills K Tyler Bass". Bills Wire. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  6. ^ Zenor, John (January 25, 2020). "Georgia Southern's Bass, Vildor impact Senior Bowl football game". Savannah Morning News. Associated Press. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  7. ^ "Tyler Bass Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  8. ^ Lavoie, Dan (April 25, 2020). "2020 NFL Draft: Buffalo Bills select K Tyler Bass from Georgia Southern". Buffalo Rumblings. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  9. ^ Wojton, Nick (August 27, 2020). "7 things to know about new Bills starting kicker Tyler Bass". Bills Wire. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  10. ^ "Tyler Bass Contract Details". Over the Cap. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  11. ^ Bengel, Chris (April 27, 2020). "Bills draft pick Tyler Bass hits wild 50-yard field goal without taking any steps". CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  12. ^ Smith, Michael David (August 27, 2020). "Bills cut Stephen Hauschka as rookie Tyler Bass wins kicking competition". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  13. ^ Carlsen, Brett; Belson, Ken (June 1, 2020). "For Sidelined N.F.L. Brothers, Training Is a Snap". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  14. ^ Miller, Ryan (September 13, 2020). "Did referees blow the call on Buffalo rookie Tyler Bass' first career field goal?". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  15. ^ "Bills' Tyler Bass: One ugly miss". CBSSports.com. October 20, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  16. ^ a b c Gelber, Brad (October 25, 2020). "Bills K Tyler Bass: 'It's about what you do after a miss'". Bills Wire. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  17. ^ Skurski, Jay (November 15, 2020). "Observations: System-wide failures for Bills preceded wild swings against Cardinals". The Buffalo News. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  18. ^ "Tyler Bass 2020 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  19. ^ "Buffalo Bills Single-Season Scoring Summary Leaders". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  20. ^ "Buffalo Bills Single-Season Kicking Leaders". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  21. ^ Alper, Josh (November 4, 2021). "Tyler Bass is the AFC special teams player of the month". NBCSports.com. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  22. ^ "Tyler Bass 2021 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  23. ^ Hamm, Timm (December 1, 2022). "Bills Kicker Wins NFL Honor". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  24. ^ "Tyler Bass 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  25. ^ "Wild Card - Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills - January 15th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  26. ^ "Divisional Round - Cincinnati Bengals at Buffalo Bills - January 22nd, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  27. ^ "Bills' Tyler Bass: Signs four-year extension". CBSSports.com. April 20, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  28. ^ Glab, Maddy (April 21, 2023). "Bills sign kicker Tyler Bass to four-year contract extension". Buffalo Bills. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  29. ^ White, Alec (September 28, 2023). "Bills kicker Tyler Bass named AFC Special Team Player of the Month". Buffalo Bills. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  30. ^ Thompson, Scott (January 21, 2024). "Bills' Tyler Bass misses game-tying kick as Chiefs move on to AFC Championship Game". Fox News. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  31. ^ "Tyler Bass 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  32. ^ Hernandez, Victoria (January 23, 2024). "Tyler Bass bullied online, so Bills Mafia donates $100K to cat shelter". USA TODAY. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  33. ^ Rasmussen, Karl (January 21, 2024). "Josh Allen Has Heartfelt Response to Tyler Bass's Missed Field Goal in Bills' Loss vs. Chiefs". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  34. ^ "Bills kicker Tyler Bass thanks fans for support following playoff loss". WGRZ. February 15, 2024. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  35. ^ a b Parrino, Matt (November 3, 2024). "Bills-Dolphins takeaways: Tyler Bass sets new franchise record with game winner". Syracuse.com. Advance Local Media LLC. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  36. ^ Zaksheske, Dan (November 3, 2024). "Struggling Bills Kicker Tyler Bass Drills Game-Winning 61-Yard FG To Beat Dolphins". OutKick. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  37. ^ Murphy, Sean (January 3, 2021). "Buffalo Bills rookie Tyler Bass sets franchise scoring record". Buffalo Rumblings. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
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