NFL Player News

Indianapolis will have an open competition at kicker between Blankenship and Eddy Pineiro during OTAs and training camp, Jim Ayello of The Indianapolis Star reports. "[Blankenship] had a good season for us last year, so that's obviously taken into consideration. He'll have to earn it again this year...it is open competition," head coach Frank Reich said.

Blankenship had a solid rookie campaign, missing only five kicks (including PATs) inside of 50 yards. However, he had a key 33-yard misfire late in the third quarter against Buffalo during the playoffs. Blankenship doesn't have great range (1-for-3 on kicks of 50-plus yards), so the Colts could decide to go with a stronger leg. Still, Blankenship has to be considered a heavy favorite to retain the job over Pineiro.

Pineiro (groin) agreed to terms on a one-year contract with the Colts on Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Pineiro spent the entire 2020 campaign on injured reserve, but had it not been for Cairo Santos' emergence in Chicago, it seems as though he could have been activated midseason. Although Pineiro is now healthy, it doesn't seem likely that he will have many opportunities to dethrone Rodrigo Blankenship as the Colts' top kicker this offseason.

The Browns claimed McLaughlin off waivers from the Jets on Monday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

McLaughlin will get a chance to compete with the Browns this offseason. The team already rostered two kickers (Cody Parkey and Matt McCrane) before claiming McLaughlin.

The Jets released McLaughlin on Friday.

McLaughlin only made one appearance for the Jets last season, in which he wasn't afforded the chance to make a single field-goal try. He did suit up for three games in Jacksonville, converting four of five field-goal attempts and three of four extra-point tries.

Carlson signed his restricted free agent tender from the Raiders on Thursday, NFL reporter Aaron Wilson reports.

In March, Las Vegas extended Carlson a second-round tender, a price that other organizations were unlikely to pay. Thus, he's back in the desert for a second consecutive year and a member of the Raiders for a fourth campaign. Carlson is coming off his best statistical season, when he connected on 33 of 35 field-goal attempts (94 percent) and 45 of 47 point-after tries (96 percent).

Rohrwasser was waived by the Patriots on Tuesday.

The Patriots will stick with Nick Folk in the 2021 season, so Rohrwasser -- their 2020 fifth-round pick -- will leave the team before he made his NFL debut. Rohrwasser was quite good in his senior year at Marshall, connecting on 18 of 21 field-goal attempts (86 percent).

Maher was waived by Arizona on Saturday, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Maher joined the team on a reserve/future contract in January and was expected to compete for the starting job after Zane Gonzalez hit free agency. However, that need for the team disappeared after it signed Matt Prater on Saturday, leaving Maher to look for a new team in free agency.

The Chargers are re-signing Badgley, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Badgley is coming off a disastrous season, having converted just 73 percent of his field-goal attempts (worst among all kickers who attempted 30 or more field goals in 2020), including just two of six tries from 50-plus yards out. The team also signed placekicker Tristan Vizcaino earlier this month, and more competition for Badgley could surface as the offseason progresses.

The Patriots have re-signed Folk to a one-year deal, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Per the report, Folk's contract includes $1.225 million guaranteed, giving him a chance to reprise the role he filled capably in 2020. The 36-year-old finished last season with 108 points while connecting on 26 of his 28 field-goal attempts and hitting 30 of his 33 extra-point tries. Also currently on the Patriots' roster are fellow kickers Roberto Aguayo and Justin Rohrwasser.

Prater signed a two-year contract with Arizona on Wednesday.

After enduring a disappointing year with Zane Gonzalez, the Cardinals are turning to a 14-year veteran coming off seven seasons in Detroit. Prater is a two-time Pro Bowler who boasts an 83.2 percent career field-goal conversion rate, though he dropped all the way down to 75 percent in 2020. The 36-year-old will be looking to bounce back in Arizona this season, and being part of a high-scoring offense led by Kyler Murray could lead to plenty of fantasy upside.