Bills' Most Significant Offseason Conundrum Is Critical Competition Created by Rookie's Selection

There are more than a few spots up for grabs up and down the Buffalo Bills’ starting lineup, including at the punter position, which is the team’s most significant offseason conundrum.

Created by the seventh-round selection of former Florida P Tommy Doman Jr., fierce competition is expected between the Bills’ rookie and incumbent starter Mitch Wishnowsky, who the team re-signed in free agency this offseason to a one-year, $1.475 million deal. That leaves the Bills’ new special teams coordinator, Jeff Rodgers, with a critical decision to make entering his first season with the team.

Buffalo’s president of football operations/general manager said after the draft that the Bills relied on Rodgers’ expertise when locking down Doman Jr., which points to the first-year pro having a realistic opportunity to unseat the seasoned veteran and become Buffalo’s punter of the future.

“You’re going to lean on Coach Rodgers and his experience,” said Beane after the draft. “We kind of talked through hang, direction, touch to toe, all that stuff… So we went through all that, but definitely a lean to Coach Rodgers and his experience in the league. And so Tommy was a guy that we had on our draft board.”

Track record

Doman Jr. enjoyed an impressive 2025 season, his lone campaign with the Florida Gators, particularly when it came to his average hang time, which was a notch better than Wishnowsky’s at the professional level.

Last season. Doman Jr. averaged 4.52 seconds of hang time on 50 punts, while Wishnowsky’s average was 4.42 seconds, according to Pro Football Focus. However, Wishnowsky had the edge in net punting average, with his mark of 42 yards per punt ahead of Doman Jr.’s net average of 40.6 yards. Wishnowsky recorded 41 punts for the Bills in 2025.

The longtime veteran is 34, so a best-case scenario for the Bills would be to move forward with Doman Jr. However, his first step will be to prove himself during the team’s offseason program in order to secure his spot on the training camp roster. Then, the true competition will begin.

“We wanted to go to camp with two punters—that’s our plan, two punters, two kickers,” added Beane. “And at this point in the draft, that was one of the reasons… that we traded back to not have to fight for a punter post-draft.”

This will be an interesting camp battle to watch if Doman Jr. holds his own the rest of the offseason.

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