NFL Player News

Tavecchio succeeded on all three of his point-after tries but missed a 53-yard field goal attempt during Thursday's 31-12 preseason win against Jacksonville.

Tavecchio became Atlanta's presumed starting kicker upon Matt Bryant's release in February, but he put forth a woeful 4-for-9 preseason showing that prompted the team to seek alternative options. In three appearances for the Falcons last season, Tavecchio seemed capable of filling Bryant's shoes for a discounted price, knocking down all five of his field goals and all eight PATs. His inconsistency this preseason, however, convinced the Falcons to bring in Blair Walsh for a one-game audition and subsequently work out Bryant on Friday.

Gano (knee) was placed on injured reserve Friday, Max Henson of the Panthers' official site reports.

The timing of the transaction means Gano won't be eligible to return from IR this season, but he may be able to find a new team if he negotiates an injury settlement. The Panthers will move forward with preseason star Joey Slye as their new kicker.

Santos converted his only kick attempt, an extra-point try, in the Buccaneers' 17-15 preseason win over the Cowboys on Thursday.

Santos once again missed out on showing what he could do on a long field-goal attempt, closing out his competition with rookie Matt Gay with a whimper by only having a chance to try a 23-yard field goal and Thursday's extra-point try over the last two exhibitions. Gay seems like a virtual lock for a roster spot following his excellent summer, although Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports that at one point it was believed the Buccaneers might opt to keep both Santos and Gay on the initial 53-man roster. Meanwhile, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports that Gay getting the call for Thursday's 53-yard attempt, which he converted, was actually an error. "I really wanted Cairo to get that kick," coach Bruce Arians said."I was really (ticked) because he was supposed to get that kick because he got 55-(yards) in pre-game. I wanted him to get his shot at the long one and we kind of messed that up on the sideline".

Joseph did not play in Thursday's preseason finale against the Lions.

Head coach Freddie Kitchens abandoned his plan to let Joseph handle the kicking chores Thursday in order to get one more look at rookie Austin Seibert, who was a perfect 2-for-2 on field goals and extra points. Kitchens will soon make his decision on the Browns' placekicker for Week 1. Both have struggled at times during the preseason, so one option is to wait and see which kickers become available after roster cuts this weekend.

Pineiro made all three of his field-goal attempts but did miss an extra-point try in the Bears' preseason finale against the Titans on Thursday.

Pineiro began the game by missing an extra point, but he rebounded to hit three field goals from 32, 39 and 35 yards. He's currently the only kicker on the roster and thus the presumed starter heading into the regular season. While he's now missed two kicks in preseason action, Pineiro made 11 of 13 total attempts across the four games.

Gay made his only field-goal attempt, a 53-yarder, and also drilled his one extra-point try in the Buccaneers' 17-15 preseason win over the Cowboys on Thursday.

The fact veteran Cairo Santos was passed up for the long field-goal attempt speaks loudly in and of itself, as it seems to send the message coach Bruce Arians perhaps needed just one more long make from Gay to help him finalize his decision on the winner of the job battle. It's very difficult to imagine the Buccaneers leaving Gay's name off the final roster at this point, as he's proven that the long-distance prowess he flashed in college was no fluke this preseason. It may not be official yet, but it appears Arians will entrust the Utah product to help cap off his offense's drives during the coming season.

Gano is dealing with a sore knee, making him a candidate to start the season on injured reserve, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Gano has tended to knee injuries in both of the past two campaigns and even missed the final four games of 2018 with a left knee issue. If his plant leg remains a concern, the Panthers would be taking a prudent approach with the kicker to ensure he's available during the stretch run. The move cannot be made until the team makes roster cuts Saturday, but it appears as if Gano will yield place-kicking duties to Joey Slye to begin the year.

Bryant confirmed he has a tryout with the Falcons scheduled for Friday, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.

The Falcons apparently haven't been too impressed by what they've seen from Giorgio Tavecchio and Blair Walsh, so the team now will take a look at the 44-year-old Bryant, who played in Atlanta from 2009 to 2018, converting 88.7 percent of his field-goal attempts in that stretch. His career rate of 89.4 percent in dome games should be appealing to a team that's scheduled for just three outdoor contests in 2019. Given the talent on offense along with a favorable schedule, the Atlanta kicker should be a usable fantasy starter this season, regardless of which player gets the job.

Bryant will reportedly try out for the Falcons, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Fellow kickers Giorgio Tavecchio and Blair Walsh are currently on the team's roster, but the 44-year-old Bryant-- who kicked in 13 games for Atlanta last season -- may now get another shot with the team he played for from 2009 to 2018.

The Panthers might consider placing Gano (leg) on injured reserve and/or trading him, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

With Gano set to miss another exhibition Thursday night, fellow Panthers kicker Joey Slye has the chance to build on a perfect preseason that's included two field goals from 50-plus yards and three more from 40-49. The Panthers don't have a ton of financial incentive to cut Gano before next offseason, but they could try to work out a trade with a kicker-needy team.