NFL Player News

Zuerlein (back) was a limited participant in June's mandatory minicamp, Myles Simmons of the Rams' official site reports.

Zuerlein, who underwent surgery last December to remove part of a disc in his back, never participated in team drills throughout the offseason program. However, Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times recently indicated that the kicker hasn't had any complications in his rehab, and it might not be long until he's back in action. "As soon as I had the surgery done, I could walk like normal," Zuerlein said after June's organized team activities. "The relief was instant, so I was pleased with that. From there, it was just strengthening all the muscles around it so it's protected, and then having the nerve recover. That's all happened, so I feel great." While the Rams might ease him back in during training camp, Zuerlein seems to be on track for Week 1.

Myers kicked field goals with the backup units throughout minicamp, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

It was clear that snagging a starting gig wouldn't be easy for Myers after the Seahawks pegged a $600,000 signing bonus onto veteran kicker Sebastian Janikowski's one-year deal. That sum of cash rivals Myers' entire contract ($705,000 for one season). Therefore, Myers has so much more to prove than Janikowski, and this battle looks to drag out through preseason.

Tavecchio faces steep competition to remain the Raiders' kicker in 2018, Scott Bair of NBC Sports reports.

Tavecchio bounced around the NFL for a few seasons prior to finally earning a roster spot with the Raiders in 2017 while Sebastian Janikowski was sidelined with a back injury. Though Tavecchio did a decent job (16-for-21 on field goals), the team brought in undrafted free agent Eddy Pineiro to compete for the job. Early reports are that Pineiro has impressed, meaning that Tavecchio will need to regain some ground in training camp if he wants to earn the job in 2018.

Martin signed with the Browns on Thursday.

Martin signed with the team after trying out during minicamp this week. He has been with the Jets in each of the last two training camps after going undrafted out of Duke, but he hasn't managed to make a final roster in the NFL.

Santos faces competition for the Jets' kicking job after the team claimed Nick Rose off waivers from the Chargers on Monday, NJ.com reports.

Santos is now presumably past the offseason procedure he underwent to repair a groin muscle injury, so he'll now focus on fending off the challenge that Rose is in line to present. Whichever kicker claims the job will be working behind an offense that averaged just 18.6 points per game last season. Newcomers like wideout Terrelle Pryor and running back Isaiah Crowell could help spur improvements on that front in 2018, but the team's attack is still slated to be directed by 38-year-old Josh McCown, while the Jets groom their soon-to-be drafted quarterback of the future.

Rams coach Sean McVay said Zuerlein is making good progress in his recovery from December back surgery, Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times reports.

McVay doesn't expect to have a detailed update until the beginning of OTAs, but he presumably still expects Zuerlein to be ready for the start of the season, as relayed back in February. An elite kicker in both fantasy and real-life terms last year, Zuerlein connected on 38 of 40 field-goal attempts in 14 games, going 12-for-12 from 40-49 yards and six of seven from 50-plus.

Tavecchio signed his exclusive-rights tender with the Raiders on Monday.

In his first shot as an NFL kicker last season, Tavecchio fared well in place of Sebastian Janikowski, who missed every game due to a disc injury in his back. En route to 16 successes on 21 field-goal attempts, Tavecchio went a combined 6-for-9 on tries of 40-plus yards. Additionally, he made all but one of his 34 extra-point attempts, finishing 23rd overall in total points among kickers. The performance was enough to give Tavecchio another shot as the Raiders' placekicker of the future.

Boswell signed his restricted free agent tender from the Steelers on Thursday, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic Pittsburgh reports.

The Steelers applied a second-round tender on the kicker before the March 14 deadline, all but assuring he'd be back in Pittsburgh for a fourth season. Putting pen to paper makes the transaction official. On the heels of a career-best 142-point campaign, Boswell is a candidate to put up a similar number behind an offense led by Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and likely Le'Veon Bell, who received the franchise tag for a second straight year.

Sturgis has signed with the Chargers.

Sturgis, who signed a two-year contract with the Chargers, is over a hip issue that landed him on IR while with the Eagles last season. Fellow kickers Nick Rose and Roberto Aguayo remain on the team's roster, but Sturgis will presumably emerge as the top option on that front.

Santos (groin) signed with the Jets on Thursday, Randy Lange of the Jets' official site reports.

Santos spent time with the Chiefs and Bears last season, but will now head to the Big Apple after Chandler Catanzaro signed with the Buccaneers on Wednesday. The Brazilian native converted four of five field-goal attempts last season and was also 14 of 14 on extra-point attempts while dealing with a lingering groin injury for much of the year. There's a chance the Jets bring in another kicker for training camp to battle with Santos, but his strong history inside 50 yards (34 of 37 kicks from 30-39 yards and 23 of 29 from 40-49 yards) will likely make him the favorite to win the job.