ExtremeRavens Posted February 11 Posted February 11 Justin Tucker remains the Ravens’ kicker. Whether it stays that way after at least nine therapists from five Baltimore area spas and wellness centers accused him of inappropriate behavior between 2012 and 2016 remains to be seen, though there’s been no indication to the contrary so far. But if Baltimore were to release the most accurate kicker in NFL history, five-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowl selection, what would that mean for its special teams going forward and how would the Ravens replace him? There are a few different paths they could take if they ultimately part ways with the 35-year-old and their only kicker since 2012. Draft a kicker Whether the Ravens move on from Tucker this year or sometime beyond that, it would be a surprise if they found his replacement through the NFL draft. For one, it’s the one position Baltimore has never utilized a draft pick on in the 29-year existence of the franchise. The Ravens aren’t alone in that non-pursuit, either, with only three kickers drafted each of the past two years. In 2022 and 2021, only one kicker was chosen each year, and you have to go back to 2012 to find the last time that as many as four kickers were drafted. Put another way, teams rarely use a pick on kickers and it’s been that way since the early 1990s. Baltimore did, however, use a fourth-round pick in 2022 on punter Jordan Stout. He hasn’t attempted a field goal for the Ravens, though he did convert 16 of 23 attempts his senior year at Penn State. Over the past 10 years, only 21 kickers have been drafted with perhaps the best of them being the Cincinnati Bengals’ Evan McPherson, who was taken in the fifth round in 2021. Undrafted free agent For all of Tucker’s success on the field, he was not drafted by the Ravens. Instead, they did what most teams do and waited until after the draft to sign him when Tucker was not among the four kickers (Randy Bullock, Greg Zuerlein, Blair Walsh and John Potter) who were selected in 2012. Of that group, only Zuerlein was still kicking in the league last year, with Potter having the shortest career at just nine games over two seasons. A college career also isn’t necessarily indicative of what an NFL career will be. While at Texas, Tucker made 83.3% of his kicks, which ranked third-best in school history. He also knocked in the game-winning field goal against rival Texas A&M in 2011 as time expired. But he did not earn an invite to the East-West Shrine Game, Senior Bowl or NFL scouting combine. His arrival in Baltimore was also somewhat fortuitous. In January 2011, the Ravens signed Billy Cundiff to a five-year, $15 million deal following a Pro Bowl season. But a year later, he missed a 32-yard field goal in the closing seconds of the AFC championship that would have tied the game against the New England Patriots. A month after the draft in 2012, Tucker signed with the Ravens and won the job in preseason, spelling the end of Cundiff’s three seasons in Baltimore. Could the same fate ultimately await Tucker? Before the accusations emerged, there was no plan to move on from him, even as he had easily his worst season at 73.3% of his kicks made. “He finished the season strong,” general manager Eric DeCosta said at the team’s end-of-season news conference. “We’ll have those discussions [about bringing in a kicker to compete], but I think I have every expectation that Justin’s going to be a great kicker for us next year and moving forward.” Packers kicker Brandon McManus is a possible free agent addition for the Ravens. (Matt Slocum/AP) Free agency Going the free agent route to find a kicker provides something drafting one does not: familiarity. The market is small, however. This offseason, there are only 10 kickers currently scheduled to be unrestricted free agents, along with two more exclusive rights free agents and one restricted free agent. Still, there are some reliable names among the unrestricted group, though they are more Band-Aids than long-term investments. Despite turning 40 in November, Nick Folk made 21 of his 22 attempts, including all six from 50 yards and beyond, for the Tennessee Titans. The Green Bay Packers’ Brandon McManus, 33, was right behind him, knocking in 20 of 21 tries, including all three from 50 and beyond. And Austin Seibert was performing well, making 27 of 30 kicks for the Washington Commanders, before a hip injury sidelined him in late November. Trade Another rarity is teams trading for a kicker. It happens, but not often and for not much. Last season, for example, Cade York was the lone kicker to be dealt, when the Browns shipped him to the Washington Commanders in exchange for a 2025 conditional seventh-round draft pick. In the 2023 offseason and preseason, a handful of kickers were dealt but all involved future seventh-round picks. The most notable names moved were Folk, who went from the New England Patriots to the Titans, and Dustin Hopkins, whom the Browns got from the Los Angeles Chargers for a 2025 seventh-rounder. The Ravens also traded a kicker in recent years. In 2018, they signed Norwegian punter Kaare Vedvik as an extra leg for training camp, where he showed off powerful field goal kicking skills as well. But Vedvik was assaulted before the start of the season, spent the year on injured reserve and eventually traded the following summer to the Minnesota Vikings for a fifth-round pick. That pick ended up being defensive tackle Broderick Washington. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article Quote
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