The Buffalo Bills have plenty of questions that still need answers as the NFL Combine rolls on and the 2026 NFL draft creeps closer, from how Josh Allen’s supporting cast will look to what the Buffalo Bills will look like with new head coach Joe Brady at the helm. Between an offseason overhaul ahead, a shifting free agency landscape, and mounting special teams scrutiny, the Buffalo Bills are juggling the flashy needs and the quiet ones — and one of the quietest just leaked out of Indianapolis.
Wide receiver help? Sure. Offensive line depth? Obviously. But Buffalo also churned through a trio of punters in 2025 and enters this offseason without a single one on the books, per reporter Sal Capaccio. It’s not the sexiest position of need on the depth chart, but anyone who watched special teams swing a game last year knows it matters — and it matters even more in a Josh Allen window where margins are everything.
Buffalo Bills Meet with Punters at NFL Combine
The revolving door started early. Brad Robbins opened the year as the Bills’ punter but was released after the opener, replaced by veteran Cameron Johnston in a quick early-season shakeup. That arrangement didn’t last long either. Johnston landed on injured reserve after Nephi Sewell fell into his plant leg during a 31-19 victory over New Orleans, per the Post-Journal.
Suddenly, Buffalo was hunting for punter No. 3. Buffalo’s emergency fix, per the Post-Journal, was Wishnowsky — a veteran who came out of Utah as a fourth-rounder back in 2019, spent six seasons with the 49ers, and landed on the Bills’ doorstep at age 33 as proof of just how thin the situation had gotten.
Three punters in one season is chaos, not a plan. Now Brady and general manager Brandon Beane are clearly trying to make sure that doesn’t happen again, and the combine intel Capaccio reported — sit-downs with Syracuse’s Jack Stonehouse and Michigan State’s Ryan Eckley — signals the front office is treating this like a real position of need, not an afterthought.
Jack Stonehouse Brings a Punting Pedigree to Buffalo Bills’ Radar
Stonehouse is a 6-foot-1, 215-pound redshirt senior out of Camarillo, California, who transferred to Syracuse from Missouri in Jan. 2023 and immediately took over as the Orange’s primary punter, per his Syracuse bio. His career numbers are hard to ignore: 137 punts for 6,225 yards, a 45.4-yard average, 38 punts of 50-plus yards, 44 downed inside the 20, and just 12 touchbacks. He holds the highest net punting average in Syracuse history at 45.0 and set the program’s single-season net punting average record at 45.7 in 2024, earning Honorable Mention All-ACC that year after a Third Team All-ACC nod in 2023.
The bloodline alone tells you this isn’t a random specialist. Stonehouse’s father handled punting duties for USC and later the New York Giants at the NFL level, while cousin Ryan went from Colorado State to a current NFL roster, and uncle Paul did the same at Stanford, per his college bio. Punting is literally the family business, and that pedigree could resonate with a Bills front office desperate for stability at the position.
Ryan Eckley’s Big Ten Resume Caught Buffalo Bills’ Attention
Eckley comes from a different pipeline but an equally impressive one. The Michigan State punter served as the Spartans’ primary specialist for three seasons and was recognized as Big Ten punter of the year, establishing both school and Big Ten records for punting average, per the Detroit Free Press.
Eckley’s raw power showed up at the Senior Bowl too, where he uncorked a 74.4-yard bomb that stood as the top punt across the opening two practice sessions, per the Free Press.
What makes Eckley’s path unique is the conviction behind it. He left Michigan State with an extra year of eligibility remaining — a rare decision for a specialist — after completing his degree in kinesiology.
Beyond the leg, Eckley’s multi-sport background — he quarterbacked his high school team and also played baseball and basketball, per the Free Press — gives him the kind of athletic profile NFL clubs increasingly want from their specialists. Eckley is projected as a Day 3 selection, and MSU has a genuine legacy of producing NFL specialists, from Brandon Fields’ nine-year career to Hall of Famer Morten Andersen.
Will Bills Draft a Punter After Combine Meetings?
Special teams played a field-position battle role in last year’s playoff push, and the last thing this team can afford is another September scramble at a position that directly impacts Allen’s starting field position every single drive.
Locking down a young, cheap punter on a rookie deal now — whether it’s Stonehouse, Eckley, or someone else — frees up the front office to spend its energy and resources chasing the big-ticket upgrades around Allen.
Brady got his five-year commitment from ownership. Beane is reshaping the roster around him. The punter meetings in Indianapolis might not trend on social media, but for a Bills team chasing its first Super Bowl, cleaning up the margins is exactly how you get there.
Buffalo Bills’ NFL Combine News Spotlights Critical Roster Need