NFL Player News

Lutz did not attempt a field goal and converted both of his extra-point tries in the Broncos' Week 18 loss to the Raiders, finishing the 2023 campaign with 30 total field goals made on 34 attempts to go along with 29 extra points on 31 tries.

Lutz had a bounce-back year in 2023, making 88 percent of his field goals after connecting on 74 percent of his attempts in 2022 with the Saints. The veteran kicker's reunion with head coach Sean Payton proved to be a positive for the 29-year-old. Lutz showed progress on long kicks, improving his success rate from 57 percent to 70 percent on kicks of 40 yards or more. He'll head into the offseason as a free agent, although Denver could choose to re-sign him after an impressive 2023 campaign.

Pineiro (hamstring) made 25 of 29 field-goal attempts and 17 of 20 extra-point tries en route to 92 points in 15 games during the regular season.

Pineiro missed Carolina's last two games with a hamstring injury. Despite the Panthers' abysmal offense often restricting his scoring opportunities, Pineiro still clinched both of the team's victories with field goals as time expired. Although there is a potential out in Pineiro's contract for a new front office to evaluate this offseason, the veteran is currently slated to return to Carolina for the 2024 campaign.

Carlson converted both of his field-goal attempts and three extra-point tries in the Raiders' Week 18 win over the Broncos, ultimately finishing the 2023 campaign with 26 total field goals made on 30 attempts to go along with 32 extra points on as many tries.

Carlson nailed less than 33 field goals while posting a sub-90 percent conversion rate in a single season for the first time since 2019, notching just 110 total points across 17 games in 2023. Nonetheless, he remains one of the more reliable kickers around the league, and Carlson has two years remaining on his current contract with the Raiders.

Boswell completed 29 of 31 field-goal attempts while making 27 of 28 extra-point tries during the 2023 campaign.

Boswell had one of the worst seasons of his career in 2022 by converting just 71.4 percent of his field-goal tries over 12 games. However, he won a kicking competition during training camp this year to retain his job, and he rewarded the Steelers with a bounce-back performance. The 32-year-old converted six of his seven attempts from at least 50 yards, and he's now made 21 attempts from at least 50 yards over the past three seasons. Boswell signed a four-year, $20 million contract with the Steelers in August of 2022, so he'll presumably be back with the team for his age-33 season following a solid showing this year.

Patterson was elevated from Cleveland's practice squad Friday and will kick in Saturday's wild-card round game against the Texans.

Patterson's elevation was expected after the Browns ruled Dustin Hopkins (hamstring) out for the team's playoff opener. While filling in for Hopkins over the last two games of the regular season, Patterson converted his only field-goal attempt from 33 yards and made six of seven PAT attempts. Earlier in the season, he made 15 of 17 field-goal attempts and 35 of 37 PAT attempts for the Lions.

Hopkins (hamstring) has been ruled out for Saturday's wild-card matchup versus Houston, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.

Hopkins suffered a hamstring injury during the team's Week 16 win over the Jets and will now miss his third consecutive game. The Browns will likely elevate Riley Patterson from their practice squad to handle kicking duties in the postseason opener.

Sanders did not attempt a field goal during Sunday's 21-14 loss to the Bills. He converted both extra-point tries.

Sanders had attempted at least two field goals in six of his prior seven games heading into Sunday's divisional loss, but Miami's offense was never put in a position to chase anything less than a touchdown. Across 17 games this season, Sanders converted 24 of 28 field-goal attempts (86 percent) and a career-high 58 of 59 extra-point tries. He'll look to maintain his consistency during the playoffs, beginning with a Saturday road matchup against the Chiefs in the wild-card round.

Gano (knee) finished the campaign with an 11-for-17 mark on field-goal attempts while making all eight of his extra-point tries over eight contests.

Gano's season began ominously when he missed both of his field-goal tries (though one was blocked) in a blowout loss to Dallas in Week 1. The veteran kicker bounced back over his subsequent five games but suffered a left knee injury prior to Week 7, and he hit just one of four field-goal attempts over the next two weeks before landing on IR and remaining there for the remainder of the campaign. Gano was outstanding in his first three seasons with New York, going 89-for-97 on field-goal attempts (91.8 percent), which included a 20-for-25 mark from 50 yards and beyond. He's signed through 2026 and is a good candidate to bounce back upon returning next year.

Ryland connected on 16 of his 25 field-goal attempts and 24 of his 25 extra-point tries in 17 games during the 2023 season.

The Patriots took Ryland, who logged 72 points in that span, in the fourth round (112th overall) of last April's NFL draft, and the Maryland product took over the team's kicking job ahead of Week 1 following the trade of Nick Folk to the Titans. Accuracy issues and working behind an inconsistent offense limited Ryland's fantasy utility as a rookie, but he'll presumably have an opportunity to continue his role in 2024. That said, when it comes to New England's looming roster overhaul, it wouldn't surprise us to see competition for Ryland brought in ahead of next season.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Tuesday that Hopkins (hamstring) is unlikely to be available for Saturday's wild-card game in Houston, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.

Hopkins missed the Browns' final two regular-season games while recovering from a left hamstring injury, and he'll remain sidelined Tuesday as the team resumes practicing ahead of this weekend's postseason opener, per Trotter. Barring a dramatic turn in Hopkins' recovery, the Browns are expected to elevate Riley Patterson from the practice squad for the third straight game to handle kicking duties Saturday.