NFL Player News

The Saints placed Lutz (core) on injured reserve Monday, Amie Just of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

After undergoing core muscle surgery in early August, Lutz was expected to need 8-to-12 weeks to recover, meaning a move to IR was inevitable. While he can return as early as Week 4 against the Giants, his best-case scenario actually may be Week 5 at Washington. At the moment, the Saints don't have a kicker on the active roster, so they may be getting ready to elevate Aldrick Rosas from the practice squad on a weekly basis until Lutz is back in action.

Pineiro has latched on with Washington's practice squad, Ben Standig of The Athletic reports.

Pineiro will serve as depth at kicker in the event that Dustin Hopkins is forced to miss some time at some point. He' s unlikely to hold a spot on the active roster during 2021 barring that scenario, unless of course Hopkins struggles greatly.

Folk is a member of the Patriots' initial practice squad, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Folk didn't survive initial roster cut-downs, while rookie UDFA Quinn Nordin made the Patriots' initial 53-man roster. Now that Folk is back in the fold, he's a quick transaction away from potentially reclaiming the team's kicking job.

The Lions signed Gonzalez to the practice squad Wednesday.

Gonzalez couldn't stick on Detroit's initial 53-man roster, but he will enter the regular season as an emergency option behind Austin Seibert. Through 12 games with the Cardinals in 2020, Gonzalez converted 16 of 22 field-goal attempts and 38 of 39 extra-point attempts.

McPherson was named the Bengals' starting kicker Tuesday, Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The Bengals selected McPherson in the fifth round of April's draft, so he entered training camp with an edge on incumbent Austin Seibert, who was released Tuesday. McPherson solidified his starting role with a perfect preseason, as he drilled all five of his field-goal attempts, including a 57-yarder in the preseason finale. The Bengals' offense has high upside depending on quarterback Joe Burrow's health, so it's worth monitoring McPherson as a fantasy contributor.

The Patriots cut Folk on Tuesday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

As expected, Folk has been released after losing the kicking competition to Quinn Nordin. The veteran was solid in 2020, connecting on 26 of 28 field-goal attempts and 30 of 33 extra-point tries. He will likely draw interest from teams around the league in search of kicking help.

The Lions released Gonzalez on Tuesday.

Fellow kicker Randy Bullock also was cut loose, leaving Detroit without a kicker for the time being. The team now will look into the free-agent market for a new placekicker.

Tucker will retain the starting job after the Ravens waived Jake Verity on Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Tucker's job was all but guaranteed, as he remains one of the best kickers in the NFL. The 31-year-old has missed just two field-goals inside of 50 yards in the past two seasons and has made more than 89 percent of his field goals in five consecutive seasons. The veteran kicker has appeared in all 16 regular-season games during all nine of his years in the NFL.

Badgley will be cut by the Chargers on Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Badgley converted only 73 percent of his field-goal attempts last season and lost his job to Tristan Vizcaino this summer. Vizcaino could even be useful for fantasy purposes this season if the Chargers offense becomes a top-10 unit under Justin Herbert.

The Patriots will roll with rookie Quinn Nordin as the starting placekicker for 2021, rather than Folk, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

As a result of losing New England's kicking competition, Folk will likely soon find himself without a roster spot. Through 16 appearances in 2020, the veteran converted 26 of his 28 field-goal attempts and made 30 of his 33 extra-point tries.