Jets landing Blake Grupe is exactly what New York's kicking game needed

The New York Jets have had massive struggles at kicker this offseason. The battle initially started with Jason Sanders and Cade York, but after York was released, it seemed like it was Sanders' job for the taking.

Instead, he fumbled away his opportunity, opening the door for New York to grab another kicker. And they did just that on Monday. The Jets claimed kicker Blake Grupe off waivers, and he'll join Gang Green.

This was a massive need for New York, and the acquisition of Grupe helped fill in a void and likely put Sanders on thin ice.

Blake Grupe gives New York Jets a timely boost in the kicking game

Grupe spent the summer with the Indianapolis Colts. Per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, Grupe finished with a 90% hit rate during camp but narrowly lost the battle to Spencer Shrader.

During the preseason, Grupe was 2-of-4 with a long of 46 yards. He was also 2-for-2 on extra points. Despite that, the 27-year-old is coming off a 2025 season with the Colts that was highly productive. He went 11/11 on FGs last season, including a 60-yarder, and 10/10 on extra points.

Overall in his career with the Colts and Saints, he went 86-for-105 (82%) on field goals and 96-for-98 on extra points. Granted, those are both indoor stadiums, but he has shown he has the power to drive home long field goals while also being accurate on extra points.

As for Sanders, it has been an up-and-down summer. He missed the 2025 season due to a hip injury, and while he has been able to stay on the field, his results have been a mixed bag. Throughout camp, Sanders was inconsistent, and his performance against the New York Giants in the preseason finale may have been the final nail in the coffin.

He missed an extra point before missing a 54-yarder. The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt revealed that the kick fell five yards short of the goalposts, displaying that the power in his leg may no longer be there.

The Jets and the fanbase don't have confidence in Sanders' ability after his uneven summer, which is why the addition of Grupe was needed.

There are still some questions that must be answered regarding Grupe. ESPN's Rich Cimini gave some good insight on the new Jets kicker. He has gone 33-for-41 (80.5%) on kicks outdoors, while never kicking when the temperature was 40 degrees or below.

Considering that the Jets play in New Jersey and have matchups at Buffalo, New England, and Denver from Week 10 on, he will have to kick in some unpleasant situations.

There's no doubt those concerns will need to be addressed, but the addition of Grupe was something New York badly needed. Kudos to Darren Mougey and Aaron Glenn for moving quickly to get another kicker in the building, as the concerns around Sanders are sky-high.

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