NY Jets: 4 kickers to target after final roster cuts

After the 2021 NFL Draft back in late April, the NY Jets had three kickers on their roster in Sam Ficken, Chase McLaughlin, and undrafted SMU free agent Chris Naggar. Four months later, all three are gone.

On May 7th, the Jets released McLaughlin, who signed on with the Cleveland Browns. Ficken was given the boot on July 30th — the Tennessee Titans claimed him off waivers.

And after the team's first preseason game against the New York Giants last weekend, the Jets waived Chris Naggar, who went 1-for-2 in his only outing with the green and white.

Somewhere in the midst of all these moves, Oklahoma State kicker Matt Ammendola got his foot in the door, earning a roster spot during a tryout, where the Jets worked out two other separate kickers, Matthew McCrane and Haidar Zaidan, on July 30th.

Since Pro Bowl kicker Jason Myers departed in free agency to the Seattle Seahawks after the 2018 season, the Jets have played a game of musical chairs at kicker.

Myers' replacement, Chandler Catanzaro, retired during the 2019 preseason while his replacement, Taylor Bertolet, was released so that the Jets could infamously claim Kaare Vedvik off of waivers from the Minnesota Vikings at final cuts. The former Raven was supposed to be the next big thing, but the Jets' gamble backfired.

Vedvik would miss both of his kicks, an extra point, and a 45-yard field goal in a 17-16 Week 1 home loss to the Buffalo Bills in his Jets debut. The kicking debacle was largely overshadowed by Sam Darnold's mono episode and CJ Mosley's grand opening, grand closing debut for Gang Green. 

The Vedvik disaster was one of the first misfires in the early days of Joe Douglas's current run as Jets general manager.  The truth is that when it comes to finding a long-term solution at kicker, Douglas and his scouting department have been shanking all of their attempts.

Returning special teams coordinator Brant Boyer can share some of the blame as well, but in fairness, he hasn't been given much to work with.

Perhaps it's their philosophical approach — the Jets haven't prioritized the kicker position in free agency or even in the draft. The team has instead opted to go the young, low-cost, low-risk route.

Not having to dedicate cap space to your special teams can allow you to concentrate on other areas of the team. The Jets would love to find a diamond in the rough kicker playing for the league minimum under team control for the next few years.

Can Matt Ammendola be the NY Jets' solution at kicker?

Will Matt Ammendola bring long-term stability to the Jets' kicking position? His overall body of work in college was average.

At Oklahoma State, he connected on 97 percent of his extra points and 76 percent of his field goals. The book on him is his leg strength, but he surprisingly only connected on two kicks beyond 50 yards his college career (both 53-yards).

With the Jets' kicking room all to himself now, the job is Ammendola's to lose. The audition begins in the Jets' second preseason game in Green Bay this coming weekend, followed by the preseason finale at home against the Eagles. 

The truth is that even if Ammendola locks down the kicking job for Week 1 in Carolina, his leash will be short. As an unknown with no proven track record, any slight hiccup could be his last. 

But first things first, while Robert Saleh has given his current neophyte kicker a vote of confidence, there's no doubt that the Jets' front office will be looking at their fallback options if Ammendola falters during his two-week audition.

And the Jets' Week 1 kicker might be on another team's roster. 

The team could make a play for an experienced veteran free agent like Stephen Gostkowski or Dan Bailey. Still, there are some intriguing young prospects and a couple of veterans who are currently in kicking battles on NFL rosters who could serve as viable options, should they be released at final roster cuts.

Keep in mind, the Jets are second in the waiver claim order behind only Jacksonville based on last year's standings. 

NY Jets target: Jose Borregales, K, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The way 2020 Lou Groza Award winner Jose Borregales has been kicking in Bucs camp, Tampa Bay might want him to keep him out of preseason action so that teams forget he is on their roster. They might be able to sneak him onto their practice squad without it being noticed. 

The Venezuelan-born Borragales, after transferring from Florida International, had a breakout campaign for Miami in 2020.

Connecting on 20-of-22 field goals with two kicks over 50 yards and a long of 57, he was perfect on extra points (37-for-37). Borregales converted 80 percent of his field goals and 98 percent of his PATs in his college career.

Reports from Tampa are that the undrafted Borregales has been magnificent this summer for the Bucs, displaying the accuracy he showed at the University of Miami last season while routinely kicking field 60-yard field goals in practice.

The reigning Super Bowl champion Bucs are going to have a dilemma on their hands when the preseason ends. Tampa shored up its kicking spot last season by bringing in Ryan Succop.

The veteran made 28-of-31 field goals. In the playoffs, Succop went 13-for-13 on field goals, helping Tampa on their way to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. For his services, the Bucs rewarded Succop with a three-year contract worth $12 million.

The Buccaneers would love to stash Borregales on their practice squad as insurance for the future while Succop retains his job for at least another year. But it's likely, that a kicker-needy team like the Jets could claim Borregales if Tampa attempts to release him at final cuts. 

NY Jets target: Jake Verity, K, Baltimore Ravens

The thought of Joe Douglas going back to the Baltimore Ravens well for another kicker might give Jets fans some pause after the Kaare Vedvik debacle in 2019. But there's no denying Baltimore's track record for finding and developing kickers.

The Ravens have been a factory for young undrafted kickers like Robbie Gould, Graham Gano, Stephen Hauschka, and Will Lutz. The aforementioned names all have something in common. They couldn't beat out potential Hall of Famer Justin Tucker (or another kicker) but found success elsewhere. 

Could East Carolina rookie Jake Verity be next in line of succession?

The former Lou Groza Award semifinalist was one of the nation's top college kickers before having an up and down 2020 season at ECU, where he missed seven field goals. Some attributed Verity's decline last year to him kicking at less than a hundred percent. 

In 2018 and 2019, Verity connected on 43-of-50 field goals (86 percent) and 60-of-61 extra points with four kicks over 50 yards in that time frame. 

In Week 1 of the NFL preseason, Verity made a great debut for Baltimore in their victory over the Saints. Verity had an impressive showing going 2-for-2 with field goals made from 42 and 53 yards during the contest.

The undrafted rookie could be on his way to Baltimore's practice squad — that is unless the Jets or another team does what NFL teams have done in past summers to Ravens backup kickers and claim him.

NY Jets target: Randy Bullock/Zane Gonzalez, K, Detroit Lions

Once upon a time, the New York Jets scooped up reclamation project Jason Myers off of waivers in the preseason from the Seattle Seahawks. Myers, the year prior with Jacksonville, had lost his job in-season after struggles with his accuracy.

Could the Jets revitalize the careers of veteran kickers Zane Gonzalez or Randy Bullock the same way they did Myers in 2018?

Both veteran kickers are in a battle for the Lions kicking job this preseason.

Gonzalez has always been known for having a strong leg. The former Lou Groza Award winner in 2016 was drafted in the seventh round by the Cleveland Browns.

Gonzalez displayed that leg strength connecting on four field goals over 50 yards in the early part of his career, but he struggled with his accuracy and was picked up by the Arizona Cardinals in 2018 after being let go by Cleveland.

In late 2018 and 2019, Gonzaled appeared to turn the corner in his career. Particularly in 2019, he connected on 31-of-35 field goals (88 percent) with a long of 54 yards. In 2020, he regressed, connecting on just 16-of-22 kicks (72.7 percent) with a long of 56 yards.

Once upon a time, the 31-year-old Randy Bullock was with the Jets in 2015. Gang Green signed Bullock to replace the injured Nick Folk. Bullock was 14-of-17 on field goals during his stint with the green and white.

Bullock, the well-traveled journeyman kicker, who was once a fifth-round pick out of Texas A&M by the Houston Texans, has an 83.2 percent field goal percentage with a career-long of 57 yards. 

Bullock likely beats out Gonzalez in the Lions kicking battle, but either veteran kicker could be an interesting option for the Jets on the waiver wire. They both bring in-game experience to the table.

NY Jets target: Evan McPherson/Austin Seibert, K, Cincinnati Bengals

Unlike Jose Borregales in Tampa or Jake Verity in Baltimore, there's a legit chance that Evan McPherson, the Bengals' fifth-round pick out of Florida, makes their roster. Right now, he and Austin Seibert are in a heated battle for place-kicking duties in Cincinnati.

In Week 1 of the preseason, Seibert and McPherson both went 2-for-2 on their field goal attempts. 

It's not sexy, but Seibert could be a veteran option for the Jets to look at. He is a career 81 percent field goal kicker, but the knock-on him has been his lack of range on longer field goals — 61 percent on kicks longer than 40 yards throughout his career. 

McPherson had a phenomenal career at Florida in which he connected on 85 percent of his field goals and only missed one extra point. He also made 5-of-8 career field goal attempts from at least 50 yards with the Gators. 

Unless he falters mightily in the next two weeks, the likelihood is very slim that McPherson doesn't make the Bengals roster. But if for some chance, he doesn't, the Jets should put in a claim.

The Jets are hoping that they don't have to cross this bridge come August 31st. And the hope is that Matt Ammendola takes hold of the job and finally provides long-term stability to the Jets kicking position.

The kicking position is not a desirable topic to focus on. But the truth is that if the Jets don't get stability at the position, it could cost them games this coming season and beyond.