Jon Ryan wasn’t without a team for very long.
Just a day after the Seattle Seahawks released the veteran punter, the Buffalo Bills scooped him up. Ryan, 36, had been the longest-tenured player on the Seahawks roster, having joined the team in 2008. The move by the Bills reunites Ryan with Steven Hauschka who signed with Buffalo in free agency last year after playing the previous six seasons in Seattle.
Jon Ryan is officially a member of the @buffalobills.
More on the Bills newest addition: pic.twitter.com/LBApMDiQ9a
— Buffalo Bills PR (@BuffaloBillsPR) August 21, 2018
Jon Ryan Signs With Buffalo Bills
Ryan will compete with Colton Schmidt for the starting punter job. His signing comes a few days after Cory Carter, himself vying for Bills punting duties in 2018, tore his ACL against the Cleveland Browns. In addition to signing Ryan, the Bills released kicker Tyler Davis on Tuesday.
The Regina, Saskatchewan native’s football career initially began in the CFL when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers took him in the third round of the 2004 CFL Draft. He played two seasons there before signing with the Green Bay Packers in 2006. In so doing, he became just the third player to hail from Saskatchewan in NFL history.
Ryan has finished among the NFL’s top 10 in yards per punt five times during his career. His 2011 season is of particular note as his 46.64 yard punting average and 34 punts inside the 20 both set Seahawks single-season franchise records. He’s also one of just two players in NFL history to hit a punt of more than 70 yards on five separate occasions. The other player to accomplish the feat is Shane Lechler.
Ryan’s first chance to make an impact on the field comes Sunday as the Bills take on the Cincinnati Bengals in their third preseason game. It will mark the first career start for rookie quarterback Josh Allen. The matchup takes place at 4 p.m. ET with FOX providing national television coverage.
