NFL Player News

Santos converted his only field-goal attempt in Chicago's 21-3 loss to the Saints in the wild-card round.

Santos connected on his field goal in the second quarter and didn't see the field again as the Bears struggled to score points in a tough matchup. The veteran kicker was successful on 30 of 32 field-goal attempts while converting 35 of 36 extra-point attempts during the regular season, and although he's scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent, it's quite possible the Bears re-sign him.

Zuerlein connected on 34 of 41 field-goal attempts and 33 of 36 extra points over 16 games for the Cowboys in 2020.

In his first season for a team other than the Rams, the veteran kicker rebounded from a rough 2019, setting a new career high with 41 FG attempts while converting them at better than 80 percent for the fourth time in the last five years. Zuerlein has two more seasons left on the contract he signed last offseason, and he's given Dallas little reason to go looking for a replacement.

Carlson made his only field-goal attempt and buried all three of his extra-point tries in Sunday's 32-31 win over the Broncos.

Carlson missed just two of 35 total field-goal attempts during an impressive 2020 campaign and also made 45 of 47 extra-point tries. His 144 points set the franchise record for most points scored in a single season, which was previously held by Raiders legend Sebastian Janikowski. Carlson's stellar closing stretch earned him AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for December, helping him gain momentum ahead of restricted free agency this offseason. Las Vegas likely plans to lure him back.

Boswell (groin) practiced without restrictions Thursday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Boswell was unavailable for Pittsburgh's Week 17 matchup against the Browns, watching from the sidelines as Matthew Wright knocked down all three of his field-goal attempts as well as his lone point-after try. It remains to be seen who will suit up Sunday against Cleveland, but Boswell is currently the only kicker on Pittsburgh's active roster. With the veteran amidst a career season that included a 95 percent conversion rate, it's probable Boswell gets the nod in a high-leverage spot.

Badgley made all four of his extra points in the Week 17 win over the Chiefs. He finished the season with a 72.7 field-goal percentage across 33 attempts and also missed three of his 39 extra-point attempts.

The third-year kicker might be on thin ice after posting the third-worst field-goal percentage among kickers who attempted 30 or more field goals this season. Missed game winners and extra points plagued Badgley throughout the season to the point where head coach Anthony Lynn repeatedly questioned his kicker's confidence in post-game pressers. What's worse, the 25-year-old's trademark big leg was nowhere to be found as Badgley connected on just two of his six attempts from 50-plus yards, bringing his career total to a paltry 3-of-9. Los Angeles will almost surely bring in some form of competition during the offseason in an effort to fix its long-standing issues with special teams.

Boswell (groin) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Boswell last suited up in Week 15, but he'll hope to show enough progress in practice this week to handle kicking duties for Sunday's wild-card matchup with the Browns. If Boswell can't go, Matthew Wright would continue to fill in.

Folk finished the 2020 season with 108 points, while connecting on 26 of his 28 field-goal attempts and hitting 30 of his 33 extra-point tries.

The 36-year-old's 92.9 percent success rate on his field-goal tries marked a career high, and ESPN's Mike Reiss believes that the Patriots "might have the inside track on retaining the veteran after helping revive his career." If Folk ends up being a free-agent departure, however, the team has a contingency plan in place, having signed Roberto Aguayo and Justin Rohrwasser to future contracts.

Maher signed a reserve/future contract with the Cardinals on Tuesday, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports.

Maher signed to the Cardinals' practice squad on Christmas Day and will now get an opportunity to stick with the team throughout the offseason. Veteran kicker Zane Gonzalez is slated to enter free agency this offseason, which could open the door to Maher in the future.

Tucker made his only field-goal attempt and all five of his extra-point tries in Sunday's 38-3 win over the Bengals.

Tucker converted from 34 yards on his field goal, helping him total eight points to finish the regular season. In a complete 16-game campaign, Tucker racked up 132 points overall, ranking eighth among kickers league-wide.

Blankenship missed two of four field-goal attempts but made both of his extra-point tries in Sunday's 28-14 win over the Jaguars.

Blankenship converted his short kicks, splitting the uprights from 22 and 24 yards, but misfired from 56 yards right before halftime and 49 yards on the Colts' first drive after. Despite those misses, Blankenship still finished the regular season with 139 points, ranking fifth league-wide among kickers as a rookie.