Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott announced that the team re-signed punter Colton Schmidt on Wednesday. Schmidt was a restricted free agent with the team, but did not receive a free agent tender tying him to the Bills. Before he could sign with another team, however, the Bills signed him to a new contract.
For a moment, it looked like the Bills were going to completely overhaul their special teams unit. While coordinator Danny Crossman survived another coaching change, kicker Dan Carpenter and long snapper Garrison Sanborn were both let go in cost-cutting maneuvers. Schmidt appeared to be another casualty when the Bills withheld a restricted free agent tender, but it seems the team was able to come to an agreement with his agent.
The 26-year-old Schmidt is entering his fourth season with the Bills. After a strong 2015 season, he saw a regression in his kicking stats, with a 38.1 net yards per punt average. He shanked more than a few punting attempts in 2016, but was far from the biggest flaw on that Bills team, and should come at a very low cost.