clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Buffalo Bills try out kickers Billy Cundiff, Alex Henery

It's hard to imagine two kickers that have struggled mightily with their most recent opportunities replacing Dan Carpenter after his bad preseason - for now, at least.

Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan has made no secret of the fact that kicker Dan Carpenter is on thin ice with him, and that continued on Monday when the Bills reportedly tried out two kickers at One Bills Drive.

ESPN's Mike Rodak reports that veteran kicker Billy Cundiff tried out on Monday, while fellow ESPN reporter Field Yates chimed in that Alex Henery was brought in for a tryout, as well.

You may remember Henery as the former Detroit Lions kicker who was waived a day after missing three field goals in a 17-14 home loss to the Bills last October. He has been out of the league ever since. That's not exactly a factoid that will inspire confidence, but hey, Carpenter used to be the Miami kicker that missed four field goals in a 17-14 home loss to the Bills, too.

Cundiff has a better NFL kicking CV than Henery does, but that's not really saying much; following an outstanding season with Baltimore in 2010, Cundiff has only made 75 percent of his kicks since, and hasn't been in the league since Cleveland unceremoniously released him last September.

Ryan has been less than pleased with Carpenter this preseason, thanks to his missing two weeks of camp with an undisclosed injury, and then missing four kicks - three field goals and an extra point - during exhibition games. The head coach has fired verbal warning shots at Carpenter twice now, but it's also hard to envision either Cundiff or Henery replacing a guy that has been one of the league's best kickers for the past two years.

Bottom line: Carpenter should clearly be concerned about his performance, but the two uninspiring potential replacements likely mean that his job is safe, at least for the time being.