Tennessee Titans kicker Joey Slye looks up from the bench during the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans. Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Titans Have New Kicker vs. Raiders

Originally posted on Tennessee Titans on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Oct 11, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The Tennessee Titans are turning to a new kicker ahead of their Week 6 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Joey Slye, the team's kicker for the first five games of the season, has been ruled out with a right calf injury. This means the team will elevate Matthew Wright off of the practice squad.

"Matthew has kicked for a bunch of teams now, and he's consistent," Titans head coach Brian Callahan said via team reporter Jim Wyatt. "He doesn't have probably Slye's range, but he's accurate, consistent, done it for a bunch of teams. Feel good about where he is at."

Who is Matthew Wright

Wright, 29, kicked in two games for the Titans last season in lieu of Nick Folk, the team's primary kicker for the 2024 season. In those appearances, Wright sunk all four field goal attempts and made his lone extra point.

Throughout Wright's time in the NFL, he has played in 29 games, hitting 55-of-63 field goals (87.3 percent), including 7-of-11 from more than 50 yards away. The hope is for Wright to continue his success in the NFL with his appearance in Week 6 for the Titans.

Wright spoke about his excitement in returning to the Titans for the game against the Raiders.

"Lots of new faces (from last year)," Wright said via Wyatt. "It helps working with (long snapper) Morgan Cox from before, and I was with (holder) Johnny (Hekker) in Carolina for a little bit. They are professional snappers and holders, so it's usually a pretty clean operation, just focus on kicking the ball."

Slye kicked the game-winning field goal in last week's win against the Arizona Cardinals, so his absence against the Raiders will be a significant one. The Titans hope Wright will be able to fill in as if Slye were still on the field, but he has proven that he is capable of stepping in.

This doesn't appear to be a situation where Wright can take Slye's job out from underneath him considering the latter has done an outstanding job this season, but the Titans are just looking for ways to win football games any way they can as one of the 1-4 teams in the league.

Adding a proven competitor like Wright to replace Slye when he cannot go due to his injury is a solid move by the Titans as they look to grab their second straight win when facing off against the Raiders.

This article first appeared on Tennessee Titans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: