Claimed off waivers from Houston midway through the 1986 season, Steve Tasker came to Western New York as an unassuming 5-foot-9, 185-pound receiver. Over the following 12 years, he dramatically changed the NFL's perspective on the gunner role, transforming kick and punt coverage into a craft and cementing his reputation as the most outstanding pure special teams player in football history.

Tasker was not especially large but made up for it with keen instincts, an relentless engine, and explosive pad level at contact. As Buffalo's main gunner on punts and the kickoff containment leader, he excelled at shedding double blocks quickly, fighting jam attempts, and meeting returners precisely when the ball arrived. Besides coverage, Tasker had an unusual ability to time his pre-snap movement, often bursting through interior gaps to block or deflect kicks.

Tasker quickly transformed Marv Levy's special teams unit into a game-changing phase during Buffalo's ascent in the late 1980s. By 1987, he earned his first career Pro Bowl selection, setting the template for how teams evaluated gunners.

As the Bills embarked on their historic run of four consecutive AFC Championships (1990–1993), Tasker served as the heart and soul of the roster alongside stars like Jim Kelly and Bruce Smith.

His standout moment came at the 1993 Pro Bowl, where in an all-star game filled with future Hall of Famers, Tasker stood out by forcing a fumble, blocking a field goal, and making four special teams tackles. These impressive plays earned him the Pro Bowl MVP award—marking him as the first and only pure special teams player in NFL history to win this honor.

In total, Tasker earned seven Pro Bowl selections (1987, 1990–1995) and five First-Team All-Pro honors, redefining a position that had previously been viewed as an afterthought. Though primarily a coverage ace, he remained an effective spot receiver in the offense when called upon, hauling in 51 passes for 779 yards and nine touchdowns as a Bill.  He also played in 168 regular-season games, racking up 204 special teams tackles, seven blocked punts, and 1,019 kickoff return yards for the team. Although Canton eluded Tasker, he was inducted into the Bills Wall of Fame in 2007.