NFL Player News

Santos was 9-for-9 with a 57-yard field goal in Sunday's camp practice, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.

Santos' perfect day comes on the heels of a near flawless one Friday, when he nailed all but a 55-yard attempt at the end of practice. Rookie fifth-round pick Matt Gay kept the pressure on Santos with a 10-for-10 performance of his own Saturday, and the two kickers figure to continue alternating kicking days in training camp and field-goal/extra-point opportunities in preseason games.

Following the release of Taylor Bertolet, McManus is now the only placekicker on the Broncos' roster.

McManus has held Denver's kicking job since the 2014 season, so it's not especially surprising to see the team part ways with Bertolet. McManus has a strong leg that theoretically gets a boost from altitude at home, but his 2019 fantasy prospects are largely tied to how well the team's offense clicks with Joe Flacco now at quarterback. McManus made 20 of 25 field-goal attempts last season, while converting all 35 of his extra point tries, en route to recording 95 points, which ranked him 20th among NFL kickers in 2018.

General manager Ryan Pace said Monday that Pineiro and Elliott Fry are even in the Bears' offseason kicker competition, Larry Mayer of the Bears' official site reports.

The Bears acquired Pineiro, who spent the 2018 season on injured reserve due to a groin injury, in a trade with the Raiders earlier this offseason. Now fully healthy, Pineiro has a strong chance to start Week 1 in Chicago if he's able to beat out Fry during training camp.

Gay made a strong impression during OTAs and minicamp with his leg strength, Carmen Vital of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

The rookie fifth-round pick will battle incumbent Cairo Santos for the starting placekicking job, and if the offseason is any indication, training camp and the preseason should include a spirited competition. Vitali notes that Gay has impressed with a combination of leg strength and accuracy, which is unsurprising given his unblemished college track record on extra points, an 86.2 percent success rate on field goals in two seasons at Utah, and his 8-for-11 tally on kicks of 50-plus yards during that stretch. If Gay ultimately prevails over Santos, what projects to be a high-octane offense could provide the former with plenty of scoring opportunities in the fall.

Prater's job appears safe in advance of the 2019 season, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

The 12-year veteran is entering his sixth season with the Lions and hasn't missed a game in four years. While Prater's career field-goal conversion rate of 83.8 percent is only 17th among active kickers, it also ranks 24th in NFL history. However, counting only his time in Detroit, Prater's rank jumps to seventh and eighth, respectively, on the back of an 86.3 percent conversion rate. Truly one of the most accomplished kickers in the NFL, Prater isn't being presented with any outside competition ahead of the 2019 campaign.

Zuerlein is the lone kicker on the Rams' 90-man roster heading into training camp.

It's a sign that Zuerlein is in good health after dealing with groin and foot injuries last season. He was the top fantasy kicker on a per-game basis the past two years, but he missed two games in 2017 and five in 2018. Zuerlein should be the first kicker taken in most fantasy drafts, as he offers an excellent blend of leg strength, accuracy and favorable team context.

Badgley is the lone kicker on the Chargers' 90-man roster heading into training camp.

Badgley shored up a long-time problem spot for the Chargers, converting 20 of 22 field-goal attempts and 29 of 30 point-after tries in 12 games last season, including playoffs. His NFL track record is limited to 2018, but few kickers are in better situations to pile up volume, as the Chargers appear strong on both sides of the ball. Badgley is a worthwhile selection in the final round of fantasy drafts.

Joseph is competing with Austin Seibert for the Browns' placekicking job, ESPN.com reports.

Joseph went undrafted in the 2018 NFL Draft and subsequently lost a kicking competition in Miami. However, he moved on quickly and got picked up by the Browns following Week 2. From there, he converted 17 -f 20 field-goal attempts but just 24 of 29 extra points. Since he was unable to seize the role, Cleveland ended up drafting Oklahoma kicker Austin Seibert in the fifth round of this year's draft. The latter likely has a leg up on the competition given his pedigree and impressive minicamp performance so far, but Joseph is still the incumbent and will have an opportunity to compete for the job.

McManus is facing competition from fellow placekicker Taylor Bertolet during minicamp, FoxSports.com reports.

McManus was drafted by the Broncos in 2014 and is entering his sixth year with the team. He made just 20 of 25 field-goal attempts last season but converted all 35 of his extra-points. This is likely a case of Denver looking to make sure the 27-year-old does not get complacent, as head coach Vic Fangio stated Bertolet "would have to knock him out like in a heavyweight battle" in order to win the job.

Sanders is not facing any competition during minicamp and OTAs, as he is the only placekicker on the Dolphins' roster, Andy Cohen of the team's official website reports.

Sanders, selected by the Dolphins in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft, finished his rookie season with 18 of 20 field goals converted. He also chipped in 35 of 36 extra-point attempts. Though that was a small sample size due to a lackluster offense, the 23-year-old impressed enough to have a seemingly stranglehold on the job heading into training camp.