Tag: Caleb Shudak

Titans’ ST coach: Caleb Shudak offers bigger leg than Randy Bullock

The Titans are confident in rookie K Caleb Shudak if he has to fill in for Randy Bullock on Sunday.

The Tennessee Titans have a situation at kicker going into Week 12, as the team’s starter, Randy Bullock, is in danger of missing his second straight game due to a calf injury.

Bullock did not practice on Tuesday, and head coach Mike Vrabel made it clear nothing is certain ahead of Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals because of Bullock’s uncertain status.

If Bullock can’t go, the Titans may look to rookie kicker Caleb Shudak to take the reins.

The Iowa product was a 2022 undrafted free-agent signing of the Titans and was thought to have a chance to give Bullock a run for his money after performing well at OTAs.

However, an unspecified leg injury landed Shudak on the PUP list to start the season and derailed the competition, giving it to Bullock by default.

While Bullock has been a reliable kicker over his season-plus on the job, one of his weaknesses is leg strength, as the veteran has issues with longer field goals and isn’t great at kickoffs.

Where this whole situation gets interesting is that Shudak does offer the big leg the Titans are looking for and, according to Titans special teams coach Craig Aukerman, it’s a bigger leg than Bullock’s.

Aukerman also revealed he is confident in the rookie, while also noting that Bullock’s status is indeed very much up in the air.

The concern with Shudak, of course, is we have no clue how he’s going to respond when faced with the bright lights of a regular season game in the NFL. After all, he has zero experience.

But it’s also possible Shudak thrives if he gets a chance and offers the ability to make the longer field goals Bullock can’t, in which case Tennessee might have a tough decision on its hands.

Bullock does have one more year on his contract in 2023, but it also only carries $600,000 in dead cap if he gets cut, so it’s not like Tennessee is married to him.

If Bullock misses another game and Shudak gets a chance, things could get really interesting in the weeks to come. Even still, it’s hard to imagine the Titans making such a big and risky change this late in the season.

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Titans’ kicker situation remains ‘to be determined’ ahead of Week 12

With Randy Bullock’s status up in the air for Week 12, Mike Vrabel says the Titans’ kicker situation is “to be determined.”

The Tennessee Titans have an issue at their kicker spot, as Randy Bullock’s status remains up in the air going into Week 12 after he missed the Week 11 contest against the Green Bay Packers with a calf injury.

Making things more interesting is the fact that rookie kicker Caleb Shudak, who performed well in OTAs before suffering a leg injury that landed him on the PUP list, was designated to return on Tuesday.

As far as what this week will look like at the position against the Cincinnati Bengals, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel says it is still “to be determined.”

With the team parting ways with Josh Lambo on Monday, one would assume that either Bullock is ready to return or the Titans will turn to Shudak if Bullock doesn’t suit up.

While Shudak was indeed impressive in OTAs, he would still be a major question mark if deployed, being that he lacks regular-season experience.

If Bullock is healthy enough to play, the Titans can stash Shudak with the designation for another few weeks after Week 12 before having to make a decision on him.

If Bullock continues on without any major hiccups, the most likely scenario would see Shudak waived once his window is up, in which case the Titans might try to bring him back on the practice squad as insurance.

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Titans designate Caleb Shudak to return from PUP list

The Titans now have 21 days to activate their rookie kicker.

Tennessee Titans kicker Caleb Shudak has become the forgotten man as he’s spent the entirety of the 2022 campaign thus far on the physically unable to perform list — but his return is nearing.

The team announced on Tuesday it has designated the 2022 undrafted free agent out of Iowa to return from the PUP list, opening his 21-day window to be activated.

Shudak was actually performing well when we first (and last) saw him all the way back during OTAs. In fact, there was a thought he might give Randy Bullock a run for his money.

However, an unspecified leg injury derailed that.

Shudak’s return comes at an interesting time, as fellow kicker Randy Bullock is dealing with a calf injury that kept him from playing in Week 11.

On Monday, the team parted ways with kicker Josh Lambo, who filled in for Bullock in Week 11. The move was not followed up with another signing to the active roster, so that leaves one spot open.

At first we assumed the move meant Bullock was good to go and the roster spot would just be filled at a later date, but with Shudak close to returning now, one also has to wonder if he might get the call should Bullock miss another game.

We’ll know more when the first injury report of the week gets released on Wednesday.

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‘We’ll let that play out’: Iowa Hawkeyes are comfortable, but undecided on specialists

As the kickoff to the 2022 season nears, Iowa is still figuring out what the final field goal and kickoff assignments will look like.

As the Iowa Hawkeyes get set to play host to South Dakota State from inside Kinnick Stadium on Saturday at 11 a.m. on FS1, one important phase of football isn’t completely ironed out.

That’s the all-important third phase for the Hawkeyes. In the field goal kicking department, Iowa is accustomed to boasting some of the nation’s best in recent years. Last season, Caleb Shudak connected on 24-of-28 field goal tries. That 85.7% field goals made number ranked 13th nationally.

In Iowa’s depth chart reveal ahead of the season opener against the Jackrabbits, sophomore Aaron Blom appeared atop the place-kicking depth chart. The Oskaloosa, Iowa, native was just in front of freshman Drew Stevens from North Augusta, S.C.

According to Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz, though, there’s no true resolution just yet.

“We’ll let that play out, and it may play out for a week or two or a couple weeks, you never know. Unlike this spring, I think we’re doing better certainly in the fall. I’m more encouraged. It’s gone back and forth a little bit, and I don’t think it’s a bad thing quite frankly. But both guys have really improved a lot since last April, and they both have worked hard, have a good attitude, and I think they’re both very capable,” Ferentz said.

Asked which kicker fans would see first, Ferentz said your guess is as good as his.

“I don’t know. I’ll tell you on Saturday. I don’t know right now,” Ferentz said.

If it’s that close of a race for the field goal kicking and kickoff duties, then can fans expect to see both versus SDSU?

“Not necessarily as field goal kickers, but one may kickoff, one may kick field goals, and then we’ll see where it all goes. Right now, there’s no clear plan. We’re waiting to see how the week plays out and how they do,” Ferentz said.

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Titans place K Caleb Shudak on Reserve/PUP list

The Titans placed Caleb Shudak on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list on Tuesday.

The Tennessee Titans have successfully whittled their roster down to 80 players by the Tuesday, Aug. 23 deadline.

Tennessee was down to 81 players after waiving four on Monday, and their final move to get to 80 was placing kicker Caleb Shudak on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list.

Shudak’s placement on the list means he’ll miss at least the first four weeks of the 2022 campaign.

A 2022 undrafted free agent signing, Shudak suffered a knee injury during Organized Team Activities in June and began training camp on the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list.

Shudak was performing well before going down to the injury and it was thought he could give fellow kicker Randy Bullock a run for his money.

Bullock’s spot is now completely secure, although he figured to win the battle anyway, as he has been performing very well in training camp and the preseason.

Tennessee will have its final cutdown day on Tuesday, Aug. 30, when the team will reveal its initial 53-man roster.

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ESPN ranks Iowa Hawkeyes as No. 3 nationally in ‘Kicker U’ rankings

ESPN has ranked the Iowa Hawkeyes as the No. 3 “Kicker U” in the country in their rankings of best talent production by position.

As my colleague Jacob Keppen discussed, the Iowa Hawkeyes came in at No. 2 in “Tight End U” rankings per ESPN, albeit that ranking could be argued at the very least. That ranking is a bit questionable as we have seen no other school in the country deliver a pipeline of talent like the Hawkeyes.

The Iowa Hawkeyes also find themselves among a list of best schools producing talent at the kicker position. The Hawkeyes come in at the No. 3 school in the country in ESPN’s “Kicker U” rankings.

In recent years, the Hawkeyes have had one of the steadiest kicking games in the country that has come off the feet of a few standouts. Most recently, there is Caleb Shudak and Keith Duncan who each gave Iowa a sense of security when the kicking unit came onto the field.

In Keith’s final year he went 26-of-27 on extra points paired with 14-of-18 on field goals. Shudak’s final season at Iowa saw him go a perfect 36-of-36 on extra points paired with 24-of-28 on field goals.

Just before those two, the Hawkeyes had Miguel Recinos splitting the uprights to the tune of 47/47 on extra points and 17/22 on field goals during the 2018 campaign.

Ahead of Iowa is Florida State at No. 1 and UCLA at No. 2. Utah followed the Hawkeyes at No. 4 and the sole other Big Ten member in these rankings is the Ohio State Buckeyes coming in at No. 5.

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Titans place Monty Rice on PUP, sign Joshua Kalu among 5 moves

The Titans made five roster moves on Saturday.

The Tennessee Titans have reunited with a familiar face and also placed three players on the Physically Unable to Perform list with training camp just days away on July 27.

Per the team, the Titans have agreed to terms with defensive back Joshua Kalu, who spent three seasons with Tennessee from 2018-2020. Kalu will compete for one of the backup roster spots in the secondary.

In order to make room for Kalu, the Titans cut defensive back Rodney Clemons, which was reported earlier in the day.

On the injury front, the Titans placed three players on the PUP list, including linebacker Monty Rice, tight end Tommy Hudson, and kicker Caleb Shudak. All three players can be activated off the list at any time before the start of the season.

Rice’s rookie campaign was cut short due to what was originally called an ankle injury, but we found out this offseason that it was in fact an Achilles injury. It remains to be seen when he’ll be cleared.

Hudson (leg) and Shudak (leg) both suffered unspecified leg injuries during mandatory minicamp.

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Titans training camp preview: Can starting specialists be unseated?

A closer look at the Titans’ specialists ahead of training camp.

In our final installment of Tennessee training camp previews, we take a look at the specialists: kicker, punter and long snapper.

The Titans entered the 2021 campaign with a problem that has become all-too-familiar for the team in recent years: they had an issue at kicker.

After Sam Ficken went down with an injury before the start of the season, the Titans were forced to scramble and ended up signing Michael Badgley, who lasted only one game.

After the Badgley experiment failed, Tennessee handed the reins to Randy Bullock, which proved to be a good move. Bullock went on to stabilize the position, making 83.9 percent of his field goal attempts.

At punter, Brett Kern missed three games due to injury, but when he was on the field he continued his downward trend, as he saw his yards per punt decrease for the second straight year.

Looking ahead to training camp, is there anyone who can unseat Bullock or Kern? Let’s find out.

Titans ST coach talks returner candidates, Caleb Shudak injury

Titans special teams coach Craig Aukerman revealed who may be competing for a return job in 2022.

The Tennessee Titans began their three-day mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, which will be the only session that is open to the media.

But before hitting the field, Tennessee’s coordinators met with the media, including special teams coach Craig Aukerman.

Aukerman touched on the competition for punt and kicker returner, revealing which players are likely to compete for each spot. The only player currently on the roster who returned kicks or punts for the Titans in 2021 is running back Dontrell Hilliard.

At kick returner, Aukerman says running back Trenton Cannon and wide receivers Reggie Roberson, Kyle Philips and Racey McMath could all compete for the job.

At punt returner, Aukerman estimates that Philips, wide receiver Mason Kinsey and safety Amani Hooker will battle it out.

Tennessee’s special teams coach went into more detail in regard to what he likes about two of the aforementioned candidates, Cannon and Philips.

While Philips figures to be a near-lock to make the roster, the same cannot be said for Cannon, but there’s no doubt his special teams prowess will help his cause.

Aukerman also provided an update on UDFA kicker Caleb Shudak, who was impressive in rookie minicamp and during organized team activities before suffering a leg injury last week.

Shudak will not participate in practice on Tuesday, and there is no timetable for his return to the field.

The Titans could definitely use a shot in the arm in the return game. While Tennessee did finish ninth in the NFL in punt return average in 2021, they also finished 27th in kick return average.

The only gripe we have with the candidates listed here is Hooker, who is set to return to his starting role in 2022. Hooker is far too valuable to the defense to risk as a returner, so we hope the Titans won’t ultimately settle on him.

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Titans TE Tommy Hudson carted off with injury; K Caleb Shudak also hurt

A pair of Titans suffered injuries during the latest open session of OTAs.

The Tennessee Titans held their last open session of organized team activities on Tuesday and a pair of players suffered injuries during it.

Titans tight end Tommy Hudson was carted off the field with an apparent leg injury after slipping. Undrafted free agent kicker Caleb Shudak appeared to suffer a right leg injury after attempting a kick.

The severity of both injuries are not yet known.

Hudson is one of the players competing for a backup tight end spot and is someone we’ve pegged as a favorite to land the No.4 role behind Austin Hooper, Geoff Swaim and Chigoziem Okonkwo.

A 2020 undrafted free agent signing, Hudson made Tennessee’s initial 53-man roster in 2021 but saw his season end early due to an ankle injury.

Shudak, who was off to a great start since being signed following the draft, is looking to unseat last year’s starter Randy Bullock, and has been neck-and-neck with him thus far.

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