Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, step right up to meet two men whose names you won’t want to hear announced at Highmark Stadium or during the television broadcast of Buffalo Bills games in 2025.
Bills punter Jake Camarda was a fourth-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022.
Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
Brad Robbins and Jake Camarda will understand if the sight of one running onto the field elicits a groan from the crowd. No one wants to see their team boot the ball to their opponent. Fans clamor for Josh Allen touchdown passes and James Cook breaking free for long runs. Punting is often synonymous with failure because, unless they’re used on kickoffs or hold on field goals, a punter’s only snaps happen after the offense fails to score.
No team has punted less than the Bills since 2020 because Allen’s ascent has transformed the offense into one of the best in the NFL.
The competition between Mitch Trubisky and Mike White for the backup quarterback job will likely garner more attention during training camp next month than the one between Robbins and Camarda, but a punter can swing the outcome of a game with one kick.
So, without further ado, let’s introduce you to the contestants chosen by Bills general manager Brandon Beane:
Why Robbins?
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The Bills could have signed an aging veteran who’s been discarded by multiple teams, but Beane wanted a younger punter with more upside who can become the best version of himself through coaching and opportunity.
One punter in the storied history of Michigan Wolverines football has a better career punting average (42 yards per attempt) than Robbins, who also has the fifth-most total yards (7,698). He showed enough skill and resilience to become a sixth-round draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2023, but he faced an unexpected existential crisis once he achieved a dream that he’d been working toward for several years.
“I felt disconnected,” Robbins, 26, explained following the final practice of mandatory minicamp at One Bills Drive. “After I figured out I can punt a football pretty well, my goal was to make it to the NFL. Once I got drafted and played, like, ‘What are my goals? What do I want to do?’ I just didn’t have the guidance. I didn’t have the people around me at the time. I was just punting. That was it.”
As a rookie in 2023, Robbins averaged 44.3 yards on 76 punts and 20 of his kicks were inside the 20-yard line. It was far below the standard that he set at Michigan, and he recognized that he needed to reshape his mental approach to the job. Prior to his second season in Cincinnati, Robbins hired longtime NHL forward Andrew Ladd as a mental performance coach. Ladd helped Robbins re-establish goals and create a belief system that could help him navigate a job that demands the ability to self-motivate.
Bad kicks are going to happen, much like dropped passes, thrown interceptions and fumbles, but punters aren’t back on the field as quickly as receivers, quarterbacks and running backs. It’s easy to stew over a mistake and lose confidence.
Robbins didn’t have the opportunity to put their plan into action with the Bengals. An injured hip flexor in training camp last August opened the door for rookie Ryan Rehkow to take the starting job, and Rehkow broke two franchise records before the Bengals released Robbins.
There was a sense of relief when he heard the news because his world view wasn’t altered by his greatest fear becoming a reality. He went through a similar experience following his freshman year at Michigan. Robbins missed the entire 2018 season and the start of 2019 because of a back injury, and his replacement, Will Hart, became an All-American. Hart eventually transferred and Robbins regained his starting job.
“I’ve seen the end of the movie already,” he said. “I’m just excited for that. I feel like I’m hitting my stride, and I’m punting the best I’ve been punting.”
When the Bengals were done with Robbins, he already saw a path to achieving the new set of goals that Ladd helped him establish. The Bills signed Robbins to a one-year contract in March, entering the Westerville, Ohio, native into the competition against a punter whom he’s known since they attended camps together at 15 years old.
When the Bengals cut Robbins last October, he relocated to Detroit to live with his fiancée while she pursued a doctorate degree. Each morning, Robbins drove an hour to Ann Arbor to train at Michigan football’s facilities with the Wolverines’ long snapper, William Wagner.
On snowy winter days, Robbins shoveled an area of a local high school field to practice his punts. He wasn’t medically cleared until the first week of December, and it took just a few days to receive a call to try out for another NFL team.
“I don’t place limitations on myself to beat Jake Camarda for a job,” said Robbins. “I want to lead the league. I can’t lead the league if I don’t win a job. I have these aspirations I’m so focused on that I’m not thinking about competing against someone else.”
Bills punters Brad Robbins, left, and Jake Camarda participate in a mandatory minicamp on Thursday.
Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
Why Camarda?
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Camarda had to reset how he viewed success and failure.
One bad kick can bother even the most experienced punters for days, if not weeks. It’s not uncommon for someone with years of success to suddenly experience a crisis of confidence. Camarda’s occurred last season when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cut him after only four games.
The fourth-round draft capital Tampa Bay used on Camarda in 2022 wasn’t enough to earn him more opportunities. His 35.5-yard net average on punts was the second-lowest mark among qualifying punters last season, a far cry from his remarkable feats as a rookie. Camarda, 26, was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month in 2023, and he became the first player in franchise history to earn weekly special teams honors twice. His 74-yard punt in Week 9 in 2022 tied the franchise record.
At Georgia, Camarda was the SEC Special Teams Player of the Year in 2020. He helped the Bulldogs win a national title, and he averaged 46.7 yards per punt as a senior in 2021.
“You always have to look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself some of the tough questions,” said Camarda. “‘How did I get into this situation? How do I move on going forward? What’s it going to take for me to continue to be a player the caliber that I know that I am.’ It sure is a mental reset, but it boils down to believing in yourself and knowing everything happens for a reason. I truly believe there are tests you go through in life that make you stronger and you lean on God and see where everything goes.”
In January, the Bills signed Camarda to a reserve/future contract to ensure they would have at least one young punter to compete for the job the following season. He signed after tryouts with the Washington Commanders and Tennessee Titans did not lead to an offer. His 38 games across three seasons in Tampa Bay provided invaluable hindsight that Camarda can use while competing against Robbins in training camp.
Every punter in the NFL comes to the realization that talent isn’t a separator in their line of work. Everyone who gets to that level, particularly those who were drafted, has the ability. Consistency, preparation and mentality determine whether they are able to keep and thrive in the job.
“My goal is to have a different idea of what success and failure look like in my mind,” said Camarda. “I think my personal goal of what does success look like is whether I can show up and work as hard as I can and try to be the best version of myself and best player I can be.”
Soon after returning to Georgia last fall, Camarda learned that he had a potential training partner living less than an hour away. Gavin Rush, an incoming freshman at Arkansas, linked up with Camarda, and the two spent many days pushing each other through workouts.
The experience inspired Camarda, a reminder of the path that he traveled to the NFL. And even though two tryouts didn’t result in contract offers, he built up confidence that will be useful when the Bills gather for training camp in Pittsford.
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