Who are the best kickers likely to be cut this year?

Update: Washington released Ramiz Ahmed, but Dan Quinn said there is still an open competition at the position

After parting with kicker Joey Slye this offseason, Washington officially entered into the kicker wilderness, and – so far – it appears dark and full of terrors. Brandon McManus was signed and then released following sexual assault allegations. Ramiz Ahmed was quickly signed to replace him. He has floated around with the Packers and the Bears since 2020, but doesn’t appear to be the obvious answer for Washington at this point.

Riley Patterson was later claimed off waivers, but he has bounced from the Vikings, Patriots, Lions, Jaguars, and Browns. He missed a 39 yard field goal against the Jets.

There’s plenty of room to improve the position going into the season, so let’s take a look at who might become available at (or before) final cut downs this year.

This is the current list of rosters with more than one kicker signed (not including Washington’s):

• Cleveland Browns – Dustin Hopkins/Cade York

Hopkins was the 11th most accurate kicker in the league last year. In 2022, the last year he played in the NFL, Cade York was……not, hitting only 75% of his FGs. I strongly suspect Hopkins is retained, and that York is not one of the best kickers to get cut.

• Indianapolis Colts – Matt Gay/Spencer Shrader

Matt Gay struggled last year, hitting only 80.5% of his FGs, but he had been one of the better kickers in the league for the Rams from 2021-2022. Shrader was signed as an UDFA by the Colts this offseason, hitting 68% of his FGs for Notre Dame last season.

• New York Giants – Graham Gano/Jude McAtamney

Gano was injured late last season and struggled, but had been very reliable for the Giants and Panthers for several years prior. McAtamney got his start as a Gaelic Footballer in Ireland. Eventually, wanting to make the transition to American football, he was able to get a college scholarship as a placekicker. He ended his college career playing as a back-up kicker at Rutgers, and was brought onto the Giants as an International Pathway Player, meaning he can occupy an exempted roster spot on the team.

• New York Jets – Greg Zuerlein/Austin Siebert

Zuerlein was the 9th most accurate kicker in the league last year, and is basically a roster lock to make the Jets. Siebert’s most productive season was his rookie year, in 2019, where he attempted 29 FGs. Since then, he’s attempted 27 more over the following 4 years, hitting just over 80% overall (right around what Brandon McManus hit last year). He could be worth a look.

• Detroit Lions – Michael Badgley/Jake Bates (Badgley tore his hamstring and is out of for the season)

Bates wins this spot by default.

• Green Bay Packers – Greg Joseph/Anders Carlson/Alex Hale

The Packers have, by a wide margin, the most crowded kicker room in the NFL. Greg Joseph has been around for five years, kicking for the Browns, Titans, and Vikings, and delivering mediocre results (82.6% FG execution). Carlson kicked for Auburn for five years, and was picked up by the Packers in the 6th round of the 2023 draft. Last year, for the Packers, he hit about 82% of his field goals. Hale started at Oklahoma State in 2023 and went undrafted. His overall FG% in college was about 80%.

• New England Patriots – Joey Slye/Chad Ryland

Washington fans are intimately familiar with Slye, whose booming leg, but – at times – frustratingly poor short accuracy could be maddening. Ryland, meanwhile, is a University of Maryland product, taken in the 4th round of the 2023 draft. Ryland was the Pats starter, but he wasn’t very good, making just 64% of his field goals. Hence the presence of Slye in camp.

• Los Angeles Rams – Josh Karty/Tanner Brown

Karty, who played four years at Stanford, was one of the more highly regarded kickers in the 2024 draft. The Rams selected him in the 6th round this offseason, hoping his accuracy will translate to the NFL. Brown was the third-most accurate field goal kicker in the FBS (95.7%) during his final year in college(Oklahoma State, 2022). He also hit 100% of his extra points in 2021 and 2022. If he’s cut, I would absolutely give him a look.

• New Orleans Saints – Charlie Smyth/Blake Grupe

Another Gaelic footballer, Smyth had never played American football before trying out as part of the International Pathway Program. The Saints signed him to a 3-year deal earlier this season. Grupe won the starting job in New Orleans last year, and hit 81% of his FGs and 100% of his extra points. It will be interesting to see how the Saints handle Smyth, but I suspect they’ll keep him in their IPP slot for at least the next year or two.

• Pittsburgh Steelers – Chris Boswell/Matthew Wright

Boswell was the 7th most accurate kicker in the league last year, and has been with the Steelers for nine seasons. At 33, it’s possible Pittsburgh could be looking to replace him, but probably not yet. Wright has been in the league since 2020, bouncing from Pittsburgh, to Jacksonville, to Carolina, but he hasn’t been awful, hitting about 85% of his field goals and 95% of his extra points. If the Steelers cut him, he could be a very reasonable target.

• Tennessee Titans – Nick Folk/Brayden Narveson

Folk was the most accurate kicker in the NFL last year, so I suspect he’s not going anywhere. Narveson spent five years in college, kicking for Iowa, Western Kentucky, and NC State. Overall, he made 78% of his field goals.

Summary

Not surprisingly, there aren’t any slam dunk kickers likely to be cut from NFL rosters this month. However, there are some interesting, potential prospects. My top options are below:

• Tanner Brown (Rams) – 96% FG
• Matthew Wright (Steelers) – 85% FG
• Austin Siebert (Jets) – 80% FG