NFL Player News
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Graham Gano K | NYG
Panthers' Graham Gano: Sitting out this week
Coach Ron Rivera said Gano won't kick this week, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
Rivera committed to Gano as the Panthers' starting kicker last week after he returned from leg soreness, and he'll now take a break heading into Week 3 of the preseason. The 32-year-old also missed the final four games of 2018 with a knee injury, so it's not a major surprise to see the Panthers giving him a light workload in August. Joey Slye will take over kicking duties this week, including Thursday's preseason game at New England.
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Eddy Pineiro K | SF
Bears' Eddy Pineiro: Opportunity knocks
With Elliott Fry having been let go, Pineiro is now the Bears' only placekicker, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Coach Matt Nagy relayed Sunday that the Bears want to give Pineiro added opportunities to make kicks in practices and games as Week 1 approaches. "The next two games will be great for him to get out there and get some reps," Nagy noted. With Sunday's development, Pineiro now has a great opportunity to seize the team's kicking job, but there's still a chance the Bears could make a move down the road, especially if Pineiro struggles at all in the coming days/weeks.
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Ka'imi Fairbairn K | HOU
Texans' Ka'imi Fairbairn: Nails three field goals
Fairbairn successfully converted all three field-goal attempts in Saturday's preseason Week 2 win over the Lions.
Fairbairn booted three-pointers from 50, 27 and 39 yards. He's a perfect 5-for-5 over the first two preseason games and leads all kickers with 20 preseason points. Fairbairn led the NFL in kicker scoring in 2018, fueled by a league-high 42 field-goal attempts (37 FGM).
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Cairo Santos K | CHI
Buccaneers' Cairo Santos: Successful on only field-goal try
Santos made his sole field-goal attempt, a 23-yarder, in the Buccaneers' 16-14 preseason win over the Dolphins on Friday. He did not attempt an extra point.
To his credit, Santos nailed his chip-shot try, and he's enjoyed a solid summer all the way around. However, to the veteran's chagrin, rookie Matt Gay has been every bit as good, arguably has a stronger leg, and nailed a 48-yard attempt to win the game Friday. Santos is increasingly looking like a potential tough-luck loser of the heated job battle, but he should get at least one more opportunity to make his case in next Friday's exhibition against the Browns.
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Matt Gay K | SF
Buccaneers' Matt Gay: Drills game-winning kick
Gay drilled field-goal attempts of 32 and 48 yards as well as his lone extra-point attempt in the Buccaneers' 16-14 preseason win over the Dolphins on Friday.
The rookie appears to be well on his way to usurping incumbent Cairo Santos for the placekicking job, with Friday's 48-yard game-winning boot potentially having cemented his case. Gay has been every bit as good as advertised in both practices and through a pair of exhibitions, and while Santos has also been solid, the fact Gay will be cheaper and also cost the Bucs some draft capital could finish tipping the scales in his favor.
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Giorgio Tavecchio K | ATL
Falcons' Giorgio Tavecchio: Preseason woes persist
Tavecchio converted on his lone point-after try, but missed two of his three field-goal attempts during Thursday's 22-10 loss to the Jets.
Tavecchio's first attempt came on the Falcons' opening offensive drive, a 52-yard try that faded right after New York's Henry Anderson deflected the ball at the line. The 27-year-old Tavecchio converted on his next attempt of 24 yards, but missed another 52-yarder later in the contest. The post-Matt Bryant Era is off to a shaky start, with Tavecchio going 4-for-7 on field-goal tries to this point in the preseason.
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Graham Gano K | NYG
Panthers' Graham Gano: Starting gig secure
Coach Ron Rivera said Monday that Gano will start for the Panthers while healthy, Steve Reed of the Associated Press reports.
Gano sat out last week's preseason contest against the Bears due to leg soreness, but he returned to practice Sunday and appears to be fully healthy. The veteran kicker is on track for Friday's tilt against the Bills.
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Graham Gano K | NYG
Panthers' Graham Gano: Back at practice
Gano (leg) was spotted kicking at Sunday's practice, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
Gano didn't play in Thursday's preseason game against the Bears due to leg soreness, but he managed to return to kicking Sunday. He should be ready to roll for Friday's matchup with Buffalo.
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Chris Boswell K | PIT
Steelers' Chris Boswell: Perfect in win
Boswell hit both his field-goal attempts (33, 47) and his lone PAT in the Steelers' 30-28 preseason win over the Buccaneers on Friday.
Just as head coach Mike Tomlin has stated, Boswell alternated kicking opportunities with Matthew Wright in a competition that is expected to last all of preseason. One missed kick could be the difference, as could their performance on kickoffs. Pittsburgh was 20th in the league in touchback percentage last season and Boswell failed to record a touchback in three tries against Tampa Bay.
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Matt Gay K | SF
Buccaneers' Matt Gay: Nails 55-yard field goal in opener
Gay made his one field-goal attempt, a 55-yarder, in the Buccaneers' 30-28 preseason loss to the Steelers on Friday.
Gay's one kicking opportunity Friday allowed him to flash the one aspect of his skill set that likely most endeared him to the Buccaneers, namely, his accuracy on long-distance kicks. The rookie has been impressive overall from various distances in training camp, but his ability to nail an attempt of that length in a game situation had to be particularly gratifying. Veteran Cairo Santos has also been solid and made his one kick attempt, an extra-point try, Friday, so the heated competition will carry over into next Friday's exhibition versus the Dolphins.