NFL Player News

Fairbairn booted a 45-yard field goal and converted his lone extra-point attempt in Houston's preseason opener against the 49ers.

Fairbairn is an undrafted free agent challenging the incumbent Nick Novak for Houston's placekicking job. Two of his three kickoffs did not reach the end zone, but touchbacks may not necessarily be a factor in who wins the job. The 49ers' average field position on his kickoffs was the 22-yard line, which is better than the new touchback rule, where field position begins at the 25. This competition will play itself out over the course of the four-game preseason.

Tavecchio is in competition with Sebastian Janikowski for the kicking gig in Oakland, Vic Tafur of SFGate.com reports.

Special teams coach Brad Seely said of the situation, "Will he kick for us? Well, that remains to be seen. But it's a competition, and we're seeing who's best. Obviously, Sebastian has done this for a long time and has been really good. Obviously, he's the front-runner." Tavecchio has become an NFL travel man, as he is in his fifth training camp with his fourth different team.

Sturgis has outperformed Cody Parkey (groin) thus far into training camp, Philly.com reports.

Though the job battle will likely come down to how Sturgis and Parkey perform in the preseason, Sturgis appears to have the edge at this point in time. Both kickers have attempted 31 field goals in team drills so far during camp, but Sturgis has converted 28 while Parkey has hit just 23. Furthermore, Sturgis' kickoffs have reportedly been consistently longer than Parker's. Regardless, the Eagles project to deploy an uninspiring offense in 2016 that could prove fruitless for whoever wins this training camp battle.

The early returns have been pretty solid for both Barth and Kai Forbath, reports the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Forbath hasn't missed a kick in camp, while Barth has missed only one, and both kickers successfully nailed their four field-goal attempts during Monday's practice.

The reports from earlier this offseason were hardly glowing, as neither Forbath nor Barth instilled a ton of confidence in early workouts before training camp. As a result, it's nice to see both kickers off to a hot early start, though at this stage it's simply too early to call the competition. While the winner of the team's kicking duties should theoretically have some fantasy value backed by a Drew Brees-led offense, it's worth noting that the Saints' kicker production has ranked 28th, 26th, and 16th over the last three seasons.

Tucker and the Ravens have agreed to a four-year, $16.8 million contract extension that includes $10.8 million guaranteed, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.

Tucker took a hard stance by saying he wouldn't re-sign with Baltimore if no long-term deal was reached by Friday's deadline, and the Ravens responded by giving him the most money guaranteed to a kicker in NFL history. At 26 years old, Tucker has converted nearly 88 percent of his field goal attempts and has never missed an extra point across four seasons, emerging as one of the league's best kickers since entering the league.

Boswell will keep the Steelers' full-time job at kicker during 2016, NFL.com reports.

In the wake of Shaun Suisham's knee injury and subsequent release from the team in June, Boswell should have the kicking job in Pittsburgh all to himself during 2016. As a rookie (in 2015), Boswell converted 29 of 32 field goal attempts, with his longest coming from 51 yards, to go along with 26 of 27 extra point attempts. Despite, QB Ben Roethlisberger's desire to go for two points after every touchdown, Boswell should retain fantasy relevance as the leg for the Steelers' high-octane offense.

The Saints will sign Barth, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

After cutting Josh Scobee loose earlier this week, the Saints were seemingly in the market for a kicker with just Kai Forbath on the roster. An invitee at rookie minicamp last week, Barth will be tabbed to challenge Forbath, and the former's success rate in the Superdome (8-for-8 in his career) could very well aid in the competition.

Folk (quadriceps) has resumed kicking, Seth Walder of the New York Daily News reports.

Folk sustained a Grade 1 quadriceps strain during pregame warmups in Week 9, and his fate for the season was sealed just two days later when he landed on injured reserve. In a seven-game sample prior to the injury, his success rate on field goals (13-for-16, or 81.3 percent) was in line with his career mark of 80.6 percent. Of note, though, was a perfect 19-for-19 from the new extra-point distance, which ensures his stature as the Jets' clear-cut kicker, assuming he regains his previous prowess.

Barth is expected to be released by the Buccaneers on Monday, Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune reports.

Barth's upcoming release comes after the Buccaneers selected fellow kicker Roberto Aguayo in the second round of this weekend's draft. After converting 23-of-28 field goal attempts for the Bucs last season, Barth will hope to earn a kicking job elsewhere ahead of the upcoming campaign.

Fairbairn, an undrafted free agent out of UCLA, reached a deal with the Texans, per a source, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Fairbairn made all 47 of his extra points and 20 of his 24 field-goal attempts during his senior year. Nick Novak ended the 2015 season as Houston's kicker, but he didn't perform so well that the Texans shouldn't entertain other options.