Tag: Stephen Gostkowski

Patriots’ history with the franchise tag under Bill Belichick

Here’s a look at the Patriots’ franchise tag history under Bill Belichick.

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick rarely leans on the franchise tag in present-day negotiations with pending free agents. There was a time when he used it frequently as a negotiating tactic, but in the last eight years, only one player has been franchise tagged by the Patriots.

That run of not tagging players will likely continue in 2023 with wide receiver Jakobi Meyers and cornerback Jonathan Jones being the only legitimate tag candidates on the roster.

That isn’t to suggest both players don’t deserve pay raises. But it’s hard envisioning Belichick and the Patriots footing the bill for a rising price tag at positions they can address through free agency and the draft.

Still, for fun, let’s take a look at all of the Patriots players that have been franchise tagged over the years by Belichick.

Signing of Andre Roberts should not stop Chargers from continuing to shore up special teams

The Chargers need to strongly consider bringing in another kicker.

Even after the addition of veteran returner Andre Roberts, the Chargers’ special teams department is far from solidified. The team continues to be haunted by ongoing issues in the kicking game.

Tristan Vizcaino, who was given the nod over Michael Badgley for the starting kicker, has not done much to show he was the right man for the job.

In six games, Vizcaino has missed five extra points, which marks the most in the NFL.

Vizcaino was coveted for his leg strength by the coaching staff, but he has yet to make a field goal over 50 yards, and his kickoff touchback percentage is 41.94, which ranks 30th in the league.

Head coach Brandon Staley acknowledged his struggles with the extra points, adding that a good chunk of it has to do with Vizcaino’s confidence.

His confidence may be shallow because the Chargers have been giving up a ton of pressure off the right side of their field goal and extra point protection.

But the bottom line is that it’s a glaring concern that has been near costly, most notably the missed extra point against the Browns late in the fourth quarter that would have tied the game at 42.

Despite the 25-year-old’s growing pains, Los Angeles might be wise to strongly consider bringing in another kicker to avoid any blunders down the final stretch of the season.

The pool of available kickers is not deep, but a few notables include Dustin Hopkins, Giorgio Travecchio, Stephen Gostkowski, and Eddy Pineiro. Or, a pair of Chargers, Badgley or Josh Lambo, might intrigue.

Would it be surprising to see the coaches roll with Vizcaino following the bye? Not at all, given Staley’s comments on him needing to grow his confidence.

However, it is not worth taking the chance of these types of errors to grow any further, which is why change has to be taken into consideration.

Cursed: Every member of the Titans’ kicker carousel since 2019

Who will be the next victim of the Titans’ kicker curse?

Round and round it goes, where the Tennessee Titans’ kicker carousel stops, nobody knows.

The Titans parted ways with yet another kicker on Monday after releasing Michael Badgley, who missed one field goal and an extra point in the team’s season-opening 38-13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

A new kicker has become a commonplace for Tennessee the past two-plus seasons, and the Titans have sported the worst field goal unit in the NFL in that span.

It’s infuriating to think that Tennessee didn’t have a better plan for the position during the offseason, but here we are.

Granted, you can’t predict an injury like the one that happened to starter Sam Ficken right before the season, but we also have to remember that he was grabbed off the scrap heap before winning the job over Tucker McCann.

Before Ficken was signed during training camp, the Titans had a competition between a pair of former undrafted free agents in McCann and rookie Blake Haubeil. No matter how you slice it, the Titans’ approach to addressing the position is completely unacceptable.

As we wait to see who the next victim of the Titans’ kicker curse will be, let’s take a look back at those who have tried their hand at the position for Tennessee since 2019.

As if you couldn’t get a more ominous sign, the Titans are now up to unlucky No. 13, by the way. As you scroll, we suggest playing Sarah McLachlan’s hit song “I Will Remember You” in the background for added effect.

Mike Vrabel ‘comfortable’ with Titans’ kickers, won’t rule out adding more

Stephen Gostkowski remains an option for the Titans at kicker.

One of the biggest concerns the Tennessee Titans face going into the 2021 season is at the kicker position, where the team is set to have a competition for the starting job between a pair of undrafted free agents.

Tucker McCann, who was signed in 2020, and Blake Haubeil, who was signed in 2021, remain the only options at kicker for the Titans right now, something that is troublesome to say the least.

That’s because neither has any NFL experience, which isn’t exactly ideal for a team that has sported a field goal success rate ranked No. 32 and No. 31 the past two seasons, respectively.

For now, Vrabel says he’s “comfortable” with Tennessee’s options, but he isn’t ruling out the team making an addition to the competition at some point, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.

“We’ll work with those guys and see where it goes,” Vrabel said. “We’re comfortable and positive that those guys are going to go out and compete. (We want to) give Tucker an opportunity. … He was really impressive as we worked our way through training camp (last year), and then he got injured. … We’ll let those guys compete, and like any other position, if we have to bring guys in, we can do that.”

When asked about 2020 starter, Stephen Gostkowski, Vrabel had this to say:

“Until he retires, I would imagine that anybody would be a potential (option), but I don’t know.”

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Gostkowski remains available on the open market, although it still isn’t clear what his future plans are at the age of 37. The veteran did struggle during the first half of last season, but righted the ship in his final eight games (including playoffs), making 10 of 11 kicks.

Other options on the free-agent market include Dan Bailey, Zane Gonzalez, Roberto Aguayo and Brett Maher. None of those options are as proven as Gostkowski, though.

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4 former Titans who can fill Tennessee’s remaining roster needs

These former Titans each fill a remaining need Tennessee has ahead of 2021.

The Tennessee Titans have had to part ways with several notable players over the last two offseasons, leading to quite the roster overhaul on both sides of the ball.

With that being the case, plenty of former Titans have been sprinkled around the league, finding new homes in 2021 — but there are also others who remain unsigned.

While some of the notable players on that latter list won’t be returning to Nashville, there are some former Titans who make sense for the team to reunite with in 2021 based on their current situation.

Let’s take a look at four notable former Titans who are still available in free agency and could help the team fill their remaining needs.

Titans to activate Stephen Gostkowski off COVID-19 list

Gostkowski was placed on the COVID-19 list last week.

The Tennessee Titans will indeed have their starting kicker for the wild-card matchup against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday at Nissan Stadium.

According to head coach Mike Vrabel, who spoke to the media on Thursday, kicker Stephen Gostkowski will be activated off the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

Gostkowski missed the Week 17 game versus the Houston Texans after being placed on the list on December 28.

In his place, the Titans deployed rookie kicker Sam Sloman from the practice squad, and the former seventh-round pick ended up coming through with a clutch game-winning kick. In all, Sloman made both of his field goal attempts and all five of his extra point tries.

After a rough first half of the season that saw him miss seven field goals and two extra points through Week 8, Gostkowski has been much more consistent, as the veteran has missed just one field goal since Week 9.

Tennessee and Baltimore will kickoff at 12:05 p.m. CT.

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Titans activate Brett Kern from COVID-19 list among 3 roster moves

The Titans made three roster moves ahead of their Week 17 contest.

The Tennessee Titans announced that they have activated punter Brett Kern from the Reserve/COVID-19 list just in time for the Week 17 contest against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium.

Kern was placed on the list on Tuesday, but a report suggested that he was a close contact rather than a positive test, which gave him a shot to still play this week.

Unfortunately for the Titans, it looks as though kicker Stephen Gostkowski wasn’t as lucky. Gostkowski remains on the COVID-19 list and will miss Sunday’s contest.

In Gostkowski’s place, the Titans will deploy rookie kicker Sam Sloman, who, along with veteran outside linebacker Brooks Reed, has been elevated from the practice squad for Week 17. Both players will revert back following the game.

Sloman was drafted in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams and appeared in seven games earlier this season. He was successful on 8 of 11 field goal tries and 18 of 21 extra points.

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Report: Titans’ Brett Kern expected to be available for Week 17

While the Titans might have their punter, things aren’t looking as good for their kicker.

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The Tennessee Titans placed punter Brett Kern on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Tuesday, but it appears he might suit up against the Houston Texans in Week 17 after all.

According to Justin Melo of Broadway Sports, Kern is considered a close contact and has not tested positive for the virus up until this point, which puts him on track to return to the team on Saturday and play on Sunday.

Kern’s placement on the list came one day after kicker Stephen Gostkowski was also placed there. It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but it’s very possible that Gostkowski was the person Kern came in close contact with.

If Gostkowski did indeed test positive for the virus, he will definitely miss Sunday’s contest.

On Wednesday, head coach Mike Vrabel didn’t give a timetable for the return of either player when speaking to the media before practice.

Should Kern and/or Gostkowski not suit up, the Titans have punter Trevor Daniel and kicker Sam Sloman on the practice squad, both of whom have been protected for this week.

Daniel has appeared in two games with the Titans in 2020, while Sloman played in seven contests for the Los Angeles Rams earlier this season.

The Titans will hope at least one of their specialists will take the field when they play the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium in what is a crucial game for Tennessee’s AFC South and playoff hopes.

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Titans’ Mike Vrabel gives updates on Kern, Gostkowski, Humphries, Fulton

The statuses of all four Titans players are up in the air for Week 17.

On Wednesday, Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel addressed the current status of some of the team’s players ahead of the crucial Week 17 showdown against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium.

In the past two days, both kicker Stephen Gostkowski and punter Brett Kern have been placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. It isn’t clear if both players tested positive for the virus, or if they came in close contact with someone who did. If it’s the latter, they still have a chance to suit up on Sunday.

Adam Humphries, who is currently on IR, is eligible to come off in time for the game against the Texans and would provide a boost for the passing attack in what is the most important game of the year.

Kristian Fulton is another player whose status is up in the air, as he has been a healthy scratch in the two games since being activated from IR.

Here’s what Vrabel had to say about each of these players:

Titans K Stephen Gostkowski placed on Reserve/COVID-19 list

The Titans placed kicker Stephen Gostkowski on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday.

The Tennessee Titans placed kicker Stephen Gostkowski on the team’s Reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday.

The Reserve/COVID-19 list was created for players who test positive for COVID-19 or players who have been quarantined for having close contact with an infected individual or infected individuals.

Teams are not able to say whether a player has been exposed or has tested positive for the virus, but must address a player’s roster status in these cases.

In 2020, Gostkowski has made 18-of-26 field goal attempts for the Titans, also good for 46-of-48 point after attempts.

The Titans are set to face the Houston Texans in NRG Stadium for the season finale.

Sam Sloman is signed to the Titans practice squad, and it’s reasonable to assume he could take Gostkowki’s place for the upcoming game.