Do the Jaguars Have a Kicker Problem?
The Jacksonville Jaguars spent the entirety of the offseason and time up to training camp preaching competition. From No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence all the way down to the team's most consistent and reliable veterans, the Jaguars said everyone had to earn their spot -- even arguably the best kicker in franchise history.
But for Josh Lambo, that competition never really came. Aldrick Rosas competed with him throughout the offseason, but Rosas was waived in the early days of training camp after starting out on the NFI list. Lambo, who many fans proclaimed didn't need to prove himself, had essentially won the job before any battle ever began.
But with 17 days to go before the 2021 season officially kicks off against the Houston Texans on Sept. 12, the Jaguars have to ask themselves a question the franchise has never had to ask: do they have a Josh Lambo problem?
Lambo, who for years has been the Jaguars most reliable and consistent performance, simply hasn't played well since camp opened. He has missed routine kicks he used to make throughout portions of camp, including missing the final three of his six attempts during Thursday's practice.
The struggles have translated to the preseason games, too. While the preseason is typically taken with a grain of salt, it is hard to discount the success or lack thereof that a kicker finds in the exhibition game. Preseason or not, kicking doesn't change. And in this year's preseason, Lambo has gone 2-of-4, missing each of his attempts that were over 40 yards.
"Yeah. Make the field goal," Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer replied on Wednesday when asked if there was any concern with the kicking unit.
It was a blunt answer, which has been expected from Meyer. But it also summed up the feelings the Jaguars' staff is likely feeling as they continue to see their veteran kicker struggle.
Lambo has now missed a field goal in each preseason game, making his first impression on Meyer worsen more and more. The Jaguars' special teams unit was supposed to be a strength of the team early on, but so far it has been just as inconsistent as the offense and defense have been through the preseason and training camp.
"Lambo has to stick it through the uprights," Meyer said after the Week 1 preseason loss against the Browns.
Meyer hasn't said much about the Jaguars' kicking struggles, but that is because he doesn't have to. The results have spoken for themselves so far.
Lambo has completed 88.9% of his career field goals and 90.8% of his career extra points, including going 16 of 21 from 50 or more yards out and 33 of 43 from 40+ yards. Since signing with the Jaguars in 2017, he has been one of the NFL's best kickers, making 95% of his field goals in that span.
The most accurate kicker in franchise history, Lambo has built a ton of credibility inside and outside the facilities. But all of Lambo's past success came under Doug Marrone, not Meyer. All Meyer knows about Lambo is what he has done before, which matters little in the context of today.
The Jaguars have a long list of issues facing them before Week 1. The offense has been a mess both on the ground and through the air. The defense has been unable to stop the pass, with the starters being torched by Case Keenum and Jameis Winston in back-to-back weeks.
But the offense and defense were expected to be a work in progress for the Jaguars. The part of the team that wasn't supposed to struggle, the kicking game, has now instead become just as much of a concern as the offense and defense, if not a larger one.
As of today, Lambo is the Jaguars' only real option at kicker. But if things don't turn around soon, they may have to consider just how real their kicker problem is.
