Tag: Matt Ammendola

Jets waive Chris Naggar, leaving 1 kicker on the roster

Matt Ammendola is the only kicker left on the Jets roster after the team waived Chris Naggar.

The Jets are down to just one kicker after they waived undrafted free agent Chris Naggar, the team announced Monday.

Naggar missed one of his two field goal attempts in the Jets’ preseason win over the Giants on Saturday. He hit a 30-yarder in the first quarter but hung a 53-yarder wide left in the third.

That leaves Matt Ammendola as the only kicker left on the team. The 2020 undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State has looked only slightly better than Naggar this summer, but he did convert his only kicking attempt, an extra point, on Saturday.

Unless the Jets are confident enough in Ammendola to roll with him for the rest of the preseason and into the regular season, they’ll likely sign another kicker to compete with him for the next few weeks. Veteran kickers Dan Bailey and Stephen Gostkowski are the best options left in free agency.

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Ex-Jets K Sam Ficken claimed by Titans

It didn’t take Sam Ficken long to find a new home. The ex-Jets kicker has been claimed by the Titans.

It didn’t take long for Sam Ficken to find a new home.

The kicker has been claimed by the Titans after being released by the Jets on Friday. Tennessee waived fellow kicker Blake Haubeil in a corresponding move.

Ficken spent 24 games with the Jets over the last two years. He made just 76.2% of his field goals and 85.4% of his extra points. He struggled in the early days of training camp this summer, including three misses from 43-55 yards on his final day with the team, per The Athletic’s Connor Hughes.

The Jets released Ficken to make room for another kicker, Matt Ammendola.

An undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State in 2020, Ammendola has yet to appear in an NFL game after spending time with the Panthers earlier this offseason. Carolina cut him on May 16. Ammendola hit 76.9% of his field goals and 97.8% of his extra points in college. He ranked third among all active FBS players with 359 career points by the time his Cowboys career ended.

Now Ammendola will get a chance to compete with another unseasoned kicker. Chris Naggar, a 2021 non-draftee out of SMU, is the only other kicker on New York’s roster, for now anyway. We’ll see if either legman gives the Jets a reason not to pursue someone with more experience.

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Jets release Sam Ficken, bring in another inexperienced kicker

Kicker Sam Ficken struggled in camp prior to his release. Matt Ammendola will take his place on the roster and compete with Chris Naggar.

Jets training camp is underway, which naturally means the kicking carousel has begun to rotate in Florham Park.

But Sam Ficken’s ride with the Jets came to a halt on Friday, as the 28-year-old was cut. Ficken struggled over the spring and in the early days of training camp, including two misses from 50-plus yards in the practice prior to his release, per The Athletic’s Connor Hughes.

Rather than keep Ficken, who only made 76.2% of his field goals and 85.4% of his extra points in 24 games with the Jets, New York signed Matt Ammendola. An undrafted kicker out of Oklahoma State in 2020, Ammendola has yet to appear in an NFL game after spending time with the Panthers earlier this offseason. Carolina cut him on May 16.

Ammendola hit 76.9% of his field goals and 97.8% of his extra points in college. He ranked third among all active FBS players with 359 career points by the time his college career ended.

Now Ammendola will get a chance to compete with another unseasoned kicker. Chris Naggar, a 2021 non-draftee out of SMU, is the only other kicker on New York’s roster, for now anyway. We’ll see if either legman gives the Jets a reason not to pursue someone with more experience.

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Panthers sign former Oklahoma State kicker Matt Ammendola

Darin Gantt says they’ve signed former Oklahoma State kicker Matt Ammendola, who will compete this offseason with Joey Slye.

The Panthers have brought in another kicker to replace Lirim Hajrullahu, who was waived last week.

Darin Gantt says they’ve signed former Oklahoma State kicker Matt Ammendola, who will compete this offseason with Joey Slye.

In college, Ammendola connected on 60 of 78 field goal attempts (76.9%) and 179 of 183 extra points (97.8%).

Like most players at his position, Ammendola went undrafted last year. Since then he’s been working with former NFL kicker Nick Novak.

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