NFL Player News

  • Blake Grupe K | NO

    Saints' Blake Grupe: Converts 30 field goals and 40 PATs

    Grupe knocked through 30 of 37 field-goal attempts and all 40 of his point-after-tries in 17 games during the 2023 season.

    Grupe hit two field-goal tries and all six PATs during the Saints' regular-season finale, thus wrapping up his rookie campaign with six straight made field goals. The undrafted product out of Notre Dame won New Orleans' starting kicker job over veteran Wil Lutz this preseason, and, while the rookie was far from perfect, he made a solid impression with 70 total kicking conversions. He also went 16-for-18 on field-goal tries of 39 yards or less. Grupe will look to improve his consistency as a long-range kicker during the 2024 season.

  • Brett Maher K | LAR

    Rams' Brett Maher: Struggles with misses in 2023

    Maher connected on 17 of 23 field-goal attempts and 13 of 15 PATs during the 2023 regular season.

    In replacing long-time kicker Matt Gay, Maher's first run as the Rams' starting kicker lasted seven games, coming to a close after a Week 7 contest against the Steelers in which he missed two field goals and a PAT. The veteran kicker was released and replaced by Lucas Havrisik, who also failed to make an impact and was waived in Week 17 after five missed field goals and three missed PAT's of his own in nine games. Maher signed back with the Rams before a Week 18 contest against the 49ers and ended up missing an extra point in his return. Maher, an unrestricted free agent in 2024, did put up a perfect performance during Sunday's wild-card loss to the Lions in which he contributed three field goals and two extra points, but he likely won't return to a Rams team that will look to find a more reliable option to handle kicking duties, perhaps via the draft.

  • Riley Patterson: Moves back to practice squad

    The Browns reverted Patterson to their practice squad Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.

    After joining Cleveland on Christmas Day, Patterson worked as the team's kicker in the final two weeks of the regular season and in the the wild-card loss to Houston this past Saturday. He attempted and made just one field goal -- a 33-yarder -- during that span and also went 8-for-9 on extra-point attempts. Dustin Hopkins was effective this season for the Browns before injuring his hamstring in Week 16 and will likely retain his role as the team's kicker in the final year of his current contract next season.

  • Dolphins' Jason Sanders: Little doing in wild-card loss

    Sanders converted his only extra-point try during Saturday's 26-7 wild-card loss to the Chiefs.

    Sanders didn't attempt a field goal during Saturday's frigid weather conditions, especially with Miami's offense stalling early. The loss was reminiscent of the Dolphins' regular-season finale loss to Buffalo, another contest in which trailing from the outset cost Sanders a chance to factor into the offense significantly. Still, Sanders is coming off a solid season in which he converted 24 of 28 field-goal attempts, with his only misses coming from 40-plus yards out.

  • Packers' Anders Carlson: Makes six of seven PAT tries

    Carlson made six of the seven extra points he attempted in Sunday's 48-32 wild-card victory over the Cowboys.

    Carlson missed five extra-point tries during the regular season, and he misfired once again in Green Bay's playoff opener. Only one of the misses really proved consequential -- four of them plus Sunday's coming in games the Packers won -- but with the games only getting bigger moving forward, Green Bay will undoubtedly be looking for perfection the rest of the way.

  • Nick Folk K | TEN

    Titans' Nick Folk: Enjoys excellent season with Titans

    Folk made 29 of 30 field-goal attempts and 28 of 30 extra-point attempts during the 2023 season with the Titans.

    Folk was traded to the Titans in August for a seventh-round pick. Though the team didn't have a successful season, Folk played his part, with his only missed field goal coming from 51 yards away in Week 10 against Tampa Bay. Folk is entering his age 39 season, but he has made at least 90 percent of his field goals in three of his last four campaigns and should be able to find another job this offseason after hitting free agency.

  • Wil Lutz K | DEN

    Broncos' Wil Lutz: Shows improvement in 2023

    Lutz did not attempt a field goal and converted both of his extra-point tries in the Broncos' Week 18 loss to the Raiders, finishing the 2023 campaign with 30 total field goals made on 34 attempts to go along with 29 extra points on 31 tries.

    Lutz had a bounce-back year in 2023, making 88 percent of his field goals after connecting on 74 percent of his attempts in 2022 with the Saints. The veteran kicker's reunion with head coach Sean Payton proved to be a positive for the 29-year-old. Lutz showed progress on long kicks, improving his success rate from 57 percent to 70 percent on kicks of 40 yards or more. He'll head into the offseason as a free agent, although Denver could choose to re-sign him after an impressive 2023 campaign.

  • Eddy Pineiro K | CAR

    Panthers' Eddy Pineiro: Injury to end season

    Pineiro (hamstring) made 25 of 29 field-goal attempts and 17 of 20 extra-point tries en route to 92 points in 15 games during the regular season.

    Pineiro missed Carolina's last two games with a hamstring injury. Despite the Panthers' abysmal offense often restricting his scoring opportunities, Pineiro still clinched both of the team's victories with field goals as time expired. Although there is a potential out in Pineiro's contract for a new front office to evaluate this offseason, the veteran is currently slated to return to Carolina for the 2024 campaign.

  • Raiders' Daniel Carlson: Slightly regresses in 2023

    Carlson converted both of his field-goal attempts and three extra-point tries in the Raiders' Week 18 win over the Broncos, ultimately finishing the 2023 campaign with 26 total field goals made on 30 attempts to go along with 32 extra points on as many tries.

    Carlson nailed less than 33 field goals while posting a sub-90 percent conversion rate in a single season for the first time since 2019, notching just 110 total points across 17 games in 2023. Nonetheless, he remains one of the more reliable kickers around the league, and Carlson has two years remaining on his current contract with the Raiders.

  • Steelers' Chris Boswell: Bounces back in 2023

    Boswell completed 29 of 31 field-goal attempts while making 27 of 28 extra-point tries during the 2023 campaign.

    Boswell had one of the worst seasons of his career in 2022 by converting just 71.4 percent of his field-goal tries over 12 games. However, he won a kicking competition during training camp this year to retain his job, and he rewarded the Steelers with a bounce-back performance. The 32-year-old converted six of his seven attempts from at least 50 yards, and he's now made 21 attempts from at least 50 yards over the past three seasons. Boswell signed a four-year, $20 million contract with the Steelers in August of 2022, so he'll presumably be back with the team for his age-33 season following a solid showing this year.

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