NFL Player News

Rodrigo Blankenship outperformed McLaughlin in Saturday's scrimmage, making six of seven field goals, the Indianapolis Star reports.

Blankenship made kicks of 33, 37, 41, 52, 56 and 57 yards and missed from 48. McLaughlin made four of seven kicks, converting from 33, 37, 41 and 57 yards and missing from 48, 52 and 56 yards. McLaughlin had performed better than Blankenship in the first scrimmage, so the battle for the placekicking job remains close. However, McLaughlin is still the favorite as a veteran since he made five of six field-goal attempts and all 11 PATs in his stint with the Colts last season.

Blankenship outperformed veteran Chase McLaughlin in Saturday's scrimmage, making six of seven field goals, the Indianapolis Star reports.

Blankenship made kicks of 33, 37, 41, 52, 56 and 57 yards and missed from 48. McLaughlin made four of seven kicks, missing from 48, 52 and 56 yards. McLaughlin had performed better than Blankenship in the first scrimmage, so the battle for the placekicking job remains close. However, McLaughlin is still the favorite as a veteran since he made five of six field-goal attempts and all 11 PATs in his stint with the Colts last season.

Bass is the Bills' only kicker following the release of Stephen Hauschka.

It's not entirely surprising that Bass was kept after being drafted by the Bills in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He's thus poised to replace Hauschka, who had kicked for the team since 2017. The Georgia Southern product has a strong leg, but his fantasy upside as a rookie hinges on how well Buffalo's Josh Allen-helmed offense clicks this season.

Gay remains in a heated competition with Elliott Fry for the placekicker job, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports. "I think the competition is close -- I think it's real close," said Special Teams Coordinator Keith Armstrong. "I think with Matt, the thing I learned is he's got to learn to be consistent. That's what we're looking for and that's hard to do. That's what wins and he's got to learn to be consistent."

Armstrong's focus on the theme isn't coincidental, as Gay managed to prompt just enough doubt in the minds of the coaching staff during his rookie season by sometimes making what should have been easier kicks more difficult. Gay either missed or had five of his last eight field-goal attempts of the season blocked, and two of his seven misses overall on the campaign came from the very manageable distance of 34 yards. Gay was also just 43-for-48 on extra-point tries, so he's focusing on treating every kick attempt with equal focus in his heated camp battle with Fry, who's also demonstrated plenty of accuracy and leg strength thus far. With no preseason games this summer, the two kickers' only chance to show what they can do in game action ahead of the regular season will come in two intrasquad scrimmages, the first unfolding Friday.

Head coach Matt Nagy relayed that the team may roster both Santos and Eddy Pineiro (groin) in 2020, Adam Hoge of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

Nagy didn't mention whether that meant both would be on the 53-man roster or if one would stay on the practice squad, but it's reasonable to believe both could be possibilities. However, Pineiro is expected to be the No. 1 kicker if he's healthy to start the year, but a few errant kicks by Pineiro could change that quickly.

Head coach Matt Nagy hinted that the Bears could roster both Pineiro (groin) and Cairo Santos, Adam Hoge of NBC Sports Chicago reports.

Nagy didn't confirm whether this meant both would be on the active roster or if one would be on the practice squad, but it likely means Pineiro is sticking in Chicago regardless of how the competition against Santos plays out. Even with Pineiro's injury, he's regarded as the No. 1 kicker for the time being.

Blankenship was 5-for-8 in field-goal attempts during Monday's practice at Lucas Oil Stadium, with misses from 39, 44 and 53 yards and appears behind Chase McLaughlin in the competition for the placekicker job, Stephen Holder of The Athletic reports.

Blankenship, who joined the Colts after a prolific college career at Georgia, entered training camp as an underdog to unseat McLaughlin, and it sounds like he's falling behind in the competition. Still, the Colts may not name a starter until close to the start of the regular season.

McLaughlin was 8-for-8 in field goal attempts in Monday's scrimmage at Lucas Oil Stadium and appears to have a lead over rookie Rodrigo Blankenship, Stephen Holder of The Athletic reports.

Blankenship was 5-for-8 in field-goal attempts, with misses from 39, 44 and 53 yards. McLaughlin looks likely to win the job, but the team may not announce the starting placekicker until shortly before Week 1.

The Patriots have officially re-signed Folk.

Folk -- who kicked in seven games for the Patriots last season and made 14 of 17 field goals in the process -- thus will compete with 2020 fifth-rounder Justin Rohrwasser. Whoever lands the job won't be working behind a Tom Brady-helmed offense, but if things click well under expected starting QB Cam Newton, the Patriots attack could provide a decent fantasy context for either Folk or Rohrwasser.

Rohrwasser (undisclosed) kicked field goals in team drills Sunday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

This is Rohrwasser's second time kicking field goals in training camp, and he hasn't done so in nearly a week because he was dealing with an injury. Although the Patriots picked him in the fifth round of April's draft, the team is bringing in Nick Folk to compete with Rohrwasser for the kicking job.