Colton Schmidt is sprinting barefoot down the street in his Bakersfield, Calif. neighborhood. He’s wearing nothing but shorts. It’s roughly 7 a.m. in early September, and immediately after getting out of bed, he began running. He’s chasing his opportunity to be a punter in the NFL. Literally chasing. He’s sprinting after his mother, who is in her car on the way to work. The Bills had just called him about a tryout minutes earlier, and he needs a ride to the airport.
That story is old now. Schmidt is in his second season with the Bills, and he has come into his own as a punter, ranking in the top five in the league in net punting average (fifth with a net of 42.