Justin Tucker entered the 2024 NFL season as the most accurate kicker in league history. He may or may not finish it on the Baltimore Ravens' roster. After the seven-time Pro Bowler missed a career-high three kicks in Sunday's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, coach John Harbaugh left the door open for a future change at the position, defending Tucker as the club's kicker "right now."
"We've been working through it," Harbaugh told reporters of Tucker's uncharacteristic woes. "Every single game, you fight to try to help guys be successful. We'll do that. I mean, if you're asking me, 'Are we gonna move on from Justin Tucker?' I'm not really planning on doing that right now. I don't think that would be wise. But he'll be the first to tell you, he's gotta make as many kicks as he can. I just think, if you look at Justin Tucker's history, you have to say he's capable of doing that."
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson echoed Harbaugh's final remarks, defending his teammate.
"I believe he's still the [greatest of all time]," Jackson said of Tucker, via The Athletic. "Hell yeah, I have confidence [in him moving forward.]"
But don't write off an eventual changeup, considering the kicker's unprecedented issues: With three misses on Sunday, including an extra point and a 47-yard field goal try, the five-time All-Pro has already set a career high in missed field goals for a season (8). He's now just 19 of 27 (70.4%) on total field goal attempts in 2024, easily a career-worst mark.
Prior to this year, Tucker had never posted a field-goal rate of below 80%, and had eclipsed 85% in eight straight seasons, thrice leading the NFL in field goals made. His decline in success as a long-ball kicker dates back to 2023, however, when he converted just one of five field goals from beyond 50 yards.