WATCH: Matt Barkley launches punt in preseason NFL game
When it comes to preseason football, there can be a wide variety of surprises to entertain fans. On Friday night before their matchup against the Panthers, the Buffalo Bills decided to bench their star punter, Matt Araiza, due to the recent allegations of gang rape that have been levied against him. The Bills didn’t have a backup punter, like most NFL rosters, so they had to get creative in searching for a replacement. They turned to their backup quarterback and former USC star Matt Barkley.
Surprisingly, when he lined up to punt on Friday night for his first attempt, he kicked a 33-yard punt. Then, on his second try, he drilled a 53-yarder inside the Panthers’ 10-yard line to the 8-yard line.
Check it out.
The second punt by Barkley was pretty impressive. We’ll just have to see how the legal situation with Araiza plays out and how long Barkley is needed in emergency punt situations.
This is Barkley’s second stint with the Bills, as he was in Buffalo from 2018-2020. This past season, Barkley spent time on three NFL teams. He spent time on the active roster with the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons, and also sat on the Tennessee Titans practice squad.
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Prior to his initial stint with the Bills, Barkley bounced around the NFL a bit. He began his NFL career when he was selected in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. Barkley has also spent time with the Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, and Cincinnati Bengals.
Barkley returns as Josh Allen’s backup with the Bills
In his NFL career, Barkley has appeared in 19 games with seven starts. His teams are 2-5 in those starts, and he has completed 58.4% of his passes for 2,699 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 22 interceptions. Barkley has spent the majority of his career as a backup quarterback, and that will be no different this season with the Bills.
The Bills lost last year’s backup quarterback, Mitch Trubisky, in free agency. Trubisky signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers and is competing for a starting job there. Buffalo has also brought in veteran quarterback Case Keenum behind Allen. Barkley will likely be slotted as the Bills third quarterback, assuming Keenum stays on the roster.
Allen certainly isn’t going anywhere, but with injuries it is important to have depth on the roster, especially at quarterback. Barkley is familiar with the Buffalo offense, and his presence should provide some insurance down the stretch, just in case he is needed at some point in the season.
On3’s Jonathan Wagner also contributed to this article.