NFL Player News

Rohrwasser's struggles in training camp may result in him being cut and veteran Nick Folk winning the Patriots' kicking competition, Mark Daniels of The Providence Journal reports.

Rohrwasser made only 55 percent of his field-goal attempts over New England's final five days of camp, which paled in comparison to Folk's 86 percent success rate over the same span. As the team looks to replace long-time kicker Stephen Gostkowski rather than immediately entrusting an inconsistent rookie in Rohrwasser, the veteran Folk may prove the preferred option. A decision on the matter is expected ahead of Saturday's 4:00 PM ET deadline to trim rosters for the regular season.

The Titans waived Joseph on Thursday, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

Early reports from training camp suggested Joseph was winning his kicker battle with undrafted rookie Tucker McCann. Regardless, it's McCann who still has a roster spot after the team brought in Stephen Gostkowski to handle the job. Joseph should be near the top of the list for any team that runs into kicker issues this season.

The Jets released Maher on Monday, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports.

Sam Ficken is left as the lone kicker on the roster, while Maher will hope to catch on elsewhere at some point this season. The transaction frees up a roster spot for veteran wideout Donte Moncrief.

Gay, who made 35- and 46-yard field goals during the Buccaneers' scrimmage at Raymond James Stadium on Friday, is nevertheless expected to get new competition this week in the form of veterans Ryan Succop and Cody Parkey, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

If the second-year kicker ultimately wins the job coming out of camp, he'll certainly have earned it, as it appears Gay will have to fend off three players overall for a roster spot. Coach Bruce Arians emphasized Sunday that he's "looking for consistency on the gimmes," citing a zero-tolerance policy for any missed extra points or field-goal tries from inside the 30-yard line. Gay notably struggled on several occasions during his rookie campaign with kicks in that range, and Scott Smith of the team's official site reports the 26-year-old focused on shortening his overall kicking motion during the offseason and is receptive to having to fight his way to a spot on the team. "Competition is the baseline of the NFL," he said. "Everybody's fighting for a job, and if you don't perform, someone's right there ready behind you, ready to take your spot. It's no news to me that guys are in here competing for a shot and they're going to bring competition in. Competition is going to breed success, and I think the potential of our team this year is super-high, and I think the kicking position is very important."

Rodrigo Blankenship outperformed McLaughlin in Saturday's scrimmage, making six of seven field goals, the Indianapolis Star reports.

Blankenship made kicks of 33, 37, 41, 52, 56 and 57 yards and missed from 48. McLaughlin made four of seven kicks, converting from 33, 37, 41 and 57 yards and missing from 48, 52 and 56 yards. McLaughlin had performed better than Blankenship in the first scrimmage, so the battle for the placekicking job remains close. However, McLaughlin is still the favorite as a veteran since he made five of six field-goal attempts and all 11 PATs in his stint with the Colts last season.

Blankenship outperformed veteran Chase McLaughlin in Saturday's scrimmage, making six of seven field goals, the Indianapolis Star reports.

Blankenship made kicks of 33, 37, 41, 52, 56 and 57 yards and missed from 48. McLaughlin made four of seven kicks, missing from 48, 52 and 56 yards. McLaughlin had performed better than Blankenship in the first scrimmage, so the battle for the placekicking job remains close. However, McLaughlin is still the favorite as a veteran since he made five of six field-goal attempts and all 11 PATs in his stint with the Colts last season.

Bass is the Bills' only kicker following the release of Stephen Hauschka.

It's not entirely surprising that Bass was kept after being drafted by the Bills in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He's thus poised to replace Hauschka, who had kicked for the team since 2017. The Georgia Southern product has a strong leg, but his fantasy upside as a rookie hinges on how well Buffalo's Josh Allen-helmed offense clicks this season.

Gay remains in a heated competition with Elliott Fry for the placekicker job, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports. "I think the competition is close -- I think it's real close," said Special Teams Coordinator Keith Armstrong. "I think with Matt, the thing I learned is he's got to learn to be consistent. That's what we're looking for and that's hard to do. That's what wins and he's got to learn to be consistent."

Armstrong's focus on the theme isn't coincidental, as Gay managed to prompt just enough doubt in the minds of the coaching staff during his rookie season by sometimes making what should have been easier kicks more difficult. Gay either missed or had five of his last eight field-goal attempts of the season blocked, and two of his seven misses overall on the campaign came from the very manageable distance of 34 yards. Gay was also just 43-for-48 on extra-point tries, so he's focusing on treating every kick attempt with equal focus in his heated camp battle with Fry, who's also demonstrated plenty of accuracy and leg strength thus far. With no preseason games this summer, the two kickers' only chance to show what they can do in game action ahead of the regular season will come in two intrasquad scrimmages, the first unfolding Friday.

Head coach Matt Nagy relayed that the team may roster both Santos and Eddy Pineiro (groin) in 2020, Adam Hoge of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

Nagy didn't mention whether that meant both would be on the 53-man roster or if one would stay on the practice squad, but it's reasonable to believe both could be possibilities. However, Pineiro is expected to be the No. 1 kicker if he's healthy to start the year, but a few errant kicks by Pineiro could change that quickly.

Head coach Matt Nagy hinted that the Bears could roster both Pineiro (groin) and Cairo Santos, Adam Hoge of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

Nagy didn't confirm whether this meant both would be on the active roster or if one would be on the practice squad, but it likely means Pineiro is sticking in Chicago regardless of how the competition against Santos plays out. Even with Pineiro's injury, he's regarded as the No. 1 kicker for the time being.