One Bills Player I'm Most Excited to Follow in OTAs Will Shake Up Buffalo's Special Teams

There are plenty of players worth following throughout Buffalo Bills OTAs, but the prospect I’m most excited to learn about is rookie punter Tommy Doman Jr.

Drafted in the seventh round of the 2026 draft, Doman Jr. was brought in as competition for incumbent starter Mitch Wishnowsky, who the team re-signed to a one-year free-agent deal worth $1.475 million. Doman Jr.’s spot on the Bills’ roster is anything but guaranteed. However, if he can catch on early in OTAs, this is a positional battle that could really start heating up over the next few months.

Doman Jr. is more than a punter

Tommy Doman Jr. — Florida Gators kicker Tommy Doman (19) punts against the Florida State Seminoles during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

The former Florida Gator and Michigan Wolverine proved to be more than just a punter throughout his collegiate career, serving as Michigan’s punter, holder and kickoff specialist for two seasons, including during the team’s national championship campaign in 2023. Those added elements of his game may prove critical in his quest to make the team.

Buffalo kicker Tyler Bass is coming off a sports hernia, which wasted his 2025 season. If the Bills feel more comfortable working Bass in slowly to begin the season, or taking a little bit off his plate for his first season removed from the significant ailment, Doman Jr. could be an option to kick off for the Bills, at least in the short term.

Additionally, anyone who has followed the Bills in recent seasons is well accustomed to hearing discussion regarding the team’s holder and how they will mesh with Bass on field goals. Having experience in that department is sure to help Doman Jr. as well.

Positional battle upcoming

Buffalo Bills punter Mitch Wishnowsky walks towards the bench during first half action against the Kansas City Chiefs at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Nov. 2, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This past season for the Gators, the new Bills punter boomed 50 punts for an average of 42.6 yards per punt, with 17 downed inside the 20-yard line. His best season came during the Wolverines’ ’23 championship season, during which he recorded a career-high 44.3 yards per punt on 53 punts, including 18 downed inside the 20-yard line. He also recorded 99 kickoffs, 68 of which went for touchbacks.

Wishnowsky was solid as the Bills’ holder a season ago, helping fill-in kicker Matt Prater record a 90% success rate on his 20 field goal attempts. Wishnowsky also filled in as the team’s kickoff specialist for a brief period when Prater was injured, recording three kickoffs, none of which went for touchbacks. Wishnowsky has kicked off 236 times in his career, so Doman Jr. will be competing with another versatile special teams player capable of doing more than is typically required at the position.

At the end of the day, Doman Jr. will have to vastly outshine Wishnowsky for the Bills to trust him enough as their starter in as critical a season as the franchise has had in quite some time. But if the 23-year-old can take the bull by the horns and surge past the 34-year-old Wishnowsky, that would place them in a great position for the future.

OTAs began on Monday, May 18 for the Bills and seven other teams around the league, including the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons and Las Vegas Raiders. It will be interesting to start hearing the rumblings coming from One Bills Dr. regarding the expected positional battle between Doman Jr. and Wishnowsky over the next few months.

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