Saturday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers was an excellent case study of why the Jacksonville Jaguars will need good play from their special teams unit this season. The one-point game came down to a field goal attempt from beyond 50 yards to deliver the Jaguars their first win of the preseason, but when the kick sailed wide of the goal posts, they were doomed to their third straight loss.
Kicker Ryan Santoso, the guilty party on the missed game-winner, was waived by Jacksonville on Tuesday morning after his two makes on four attempts against Pittsburgh cost the Jaguars the win.
This move leaves a glaring hole on Jacksonville’s roster, as they are currently without a kicker ahead of Saturday’s matchup against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes Benz Stadium. They are sure to sign someone before the game, though who they might target is unclear at this point.
The Jaguars had previously brought in former Eagles kicker Elliott Fry to compete with Santoso in training camp, but an injury last week resulted in Fry’s release before the game against the Steelers.
Santoso was a journeyman by any standard, having kicked for five different NFL teams before joining the Jaguars in March. He was part of the Los Angeles Rams’ Super Bowl roster last season and has kicked in the Canadian Football League for the Montreal Alouettes in 2019 and 2020. An undrafted free agent in the 2018 draft class, Santoso played his college ball at the University of Minnesota.
While he may not be wearing the black and teal again this season, Santoso has a shot to catch on with another team before the regular season starts in September. He has managed to find his way on NFL rosters before, so expect his services to be requested at some point in the very near future.
