Atlanta Falcons Update Whether Kicking Competition Is Still Active

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga – The Atlanta Falcons have experienced a rather fluid situation at the kicker position this season, and it does not appear to be fully settled. 

The troubles began after Younghoe Koo missed a potential game-tying field goal in the Falcons’ Week 1 loss to the Buccaneers. Raheem Morris and the front office opted to bring in competition for him. 

They released the longtime veteran after Parker Romo won the job during an in-season kicking competition. Romo responded with a tremendous performance against the Vikings, converting all five of his attempts in the win, but he followed that up with a pair of misses in the Falcons’ 30-0 loss in Carolina. 

After his struggles in Charlotte, the Falcons opted to sign rookie Ben Sauls to provide more competition for Romo. Romo maintained his hold on the starting kicker role ahead of the Commanders' game and converted both of his attempts in that win. He then went 1-for-2 on Monday night. 

While his miss against Buffalo was blocked, it was noted by Morris that the kick had a “pretty low trajectory” that made it easier for the Bills’ unit to get a hand on it. 

That miss fueled some speculation that the kicking competition may not be completely put to rest. Special teams coordinator Marquice Williams was asked about some of that speculation on Thursday, and he was a bit vague in his response. 

“Every day is a competition, every day,” he said. “It doesn't matter if we have one kicker in the building, or if we have two to three kickers in the building. Every day is a competition for all of our players. So as a kicker in the NFL, you're not just competing just with whoever's in the building, you're competing against all 31 other teams. You're competing for the free agents that are trying out on the tryout wire throughout the weeks of the NFL season. So that's our mindset. And you're always competing just to be the best, so that's how I see it when it comes to us competing. We're always looking for our competitive greatness.”

In terms of what he saw from Sauls, Williams had this to say. 

“He's been good, man. He came in, not a lot of time to get ready for the actual first period, and he did a great job, and he's a professional, he's a pro. He's doing a good job of just being locked in, learning how we operate here in the building, and being with the specialists, taking good feedback, good advice from coaches and players. And he's doing a good job just getting acclimated and becoming a pro.”

While the job still appears to be Romo’s, Morris will likely have a short fuse with any potential changes at the position.