ClutchPoints
It’s the end of the road with the Baltimore Ravens for kicker Justin Tucker. The Ravens’ head coach weighed in with his thoughts, and the general manager followed suit. And now, the Ravens are expected to sign a kicker after releasing Tucker.
It will be the first time since 2011, someone other than Tucker will kick for the Ravens. The team drafted Arizona kicker Tyler Loop in the sixth round, but he will have competition from Wyoming kicker John Hoyland, according to theathletic.com via nbcsports.com.
Hoyland connected on just 15-of-19 field goal attempts last year for Wyoming. He finished 73 for 92 in a five-year college career. Those aren’t eye-popping numbers, but the Ravens must have seen something they like.
Hoyland had a big season in 2022, connecting on 22 of 25 attempts. However, he dropped to 13 of 20 in 2023.
Meanwhile, Loop posted stronger numbers, according to espn.com.
“Loop finished his college career with the highest field goal percentage (83.75%) in Arizona history,” Steve Muench wrote. “And he made a program-record 62-yard field goal against Houston in 2024. Loop is versatile; he can handle kickoffs and was Arizona’s primary punter in 2020.”
That sounds like Loop will have a leg up on the position. But the Ravens want him to earn it.
Either way, the new kicker will have a challenge in replacing Tucker. The seven-time Pro Bowler and five-time first-team All-Pro performer made 417 field goals in his 13 years with the Ravens. His all-time percentage of 89.1 ranks No. 1 in NFL history.
It wasn’t easy for the Ravens to let that talent go, according to baltimoreravens.com.
“Considering our current roster, we have made the tough decision to release Justin Tucker,” general manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement. “Justin created many significant and unforgettable moments in Ravens history. His reliability, focus, drive, resilience, and extraordinary talent made him one of the league’s best kickers for over a decade. We are grateful for Justin’s many contributions while playing for the Ravens. We sincerely wish him and his family the very best in this next chapter of their lives.”
Head coach John Harbaugh said it comes down to football, according to nfl.com.
“Every decision we make has to be based on football,” Harbaugh said. “(There are) a lot of layers to that. You’ve got a rookie kicker in here. We took him in the sixth round, early in the sixth round. He’s a talented guy. Just from a football standpoint, salary cap, all the different things that you just take into consideration — whatever we decide to do over the next few weeks would be based on football.”
The post Ravens expected to sign kicker after releasing Justin Tucker appeared first on ClutchPoints.
