Bills sign former highly touted prospect in hopes of solving a roster issue that has become a real problem this season
The Buffalo Bills wasted no time bringing in some help.
The Buffalo Bills didn’t wait long to bring in a new punter to the team after the Week 4 victory over the New Orleans Saints.
First and foremost, punter Cameron Johnston deserves his flowers. He went down after a huge hit and was in clear agony. Moments later, Johnston threw on a knee brace and hopped back into the game to hold the football for the kicker, an absolute legend’s move from Johnston.
On Tuesday, Adam Schefter broke the news on Twitter (X) that the team would be signing former San Francisco 49ers punter Mitch Wishnowsky to the active roster. In a subsequent move, Johnston was placed on injured reserve, sidelining him for at least the next four weeks. The Bills can do some roster maneuvering once Johnston returns, if they feel that Wishnowsky doesn’t meet their needs.
Buffalo is looking to fix a major issue
While Johnston cemented himself as a Bills legend, his net punting yards left much to be desired. Johnston was brought on in place of former punter Brad Robbins after the Week 1 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.
Through three games, Johnston actually had a worse statistical performance than Robbins, with 0.1 fewer net yards than Robbins managed in his stint. In three weeks, Johnston averaged 37.9 net punt yards, which is in the bottom third across the league. If you ask the Bills Mafia, a solution would be simply not to punt the ball, and while that’s hilarious, it’s just not possible.
New punter’s background
Buffalo signed a highly touted prospect in Wishnowsky, who was a former fourth-round pick by the 49ers in the 2019 draft. Wishnowsky, throughout his college career, was the 2016 Ray Guy Award winner, which goes to the nation’s best collegiate punter in the FBS. It honors the legendary Ray Guy, who forever changed the game for punters.
Throughout his six-year career with the 49ers, Wishnowsky has averaged 40.7 net punt yards, with a career low of 36.3 in 2024. He’s appeared in 92 games with 310 punts for more than 14,000 yards.
An emergency reinforcement is on the way, and the fanbase won’t have to wait long to see him in action as a Week 5 showdown against the New England Patriots is set for Sunday, Oct. 5.
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