If the Titans Want an Experienced Kicker, Their Options are Limited
It’s been a recurring cycle with different circumstances.
Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel and general manager Jon Robinson have had to answer questions about one position – kicker – more often than they probably would like to over the last three years.
In 2019, the Titans had a trail-and-error experience with an emphasis on “error” at the position when Ryan Succop couldn’t stay healthy.
Last season, Tennessee signed one of the best kickers in league history, Stephen Gostkowski, in an effort to regain consistency. That happened to some degree, but it was not what many envisioned as he missed more field goal attempts (eight) than in any of his 14 seasons and was successful on a career-low 69.2 percent of his tries.
This season, Vrabel and Robinson will face questions about the unknown. As of now, undrafted kickers Tucker McCann and Blake Haubeil are the only kickers on the roster.
The Titans, of course, have some familiarity with McCann. But that has been limited to practices since he spent the entirety of last season on the practice squad.
Signed recently as an undrafted rookie, Haubeil is an even bigger wild card. The Titans got a glimpse of his abilities last weekend’s rookie minicamp and likely will give him a chance to show what he can in the coming preseason.
Both kickers enjoyed accomplished collegiate careers. McCann played in 49 games over four seasons at Missouri and finished with 358 points, which is second all-time in program history. He made 61 field goals (71 attempts), which is also good for second in program history.
At Ohio State, Haubeil made 80 percent of his field-goal attempts (28-35) and all 146 of his point-after tries in three seasons as a starter. He scored 230 points, which is good for 16th all-time in program history and 10th among kickers.
While these are the Titans’ current options at kicker, Robinson has consistently made it clear that the roster-building process is never finished. Likewise, Vrabel preaches the virtues of competition at each position.
Here are three potential free-agent options for the Titans:
Bring back Gostkowski: His is the biggest and most accomplished name left on the market. The long-time New England Patriot (14 years) ranks fourth among active players with 392 made field goals, 8th in percentage (86.34) and second in total points scored (1,875). Gostkowski, who hails from Memphis, built a home in the Nashville area last July. Presumably, the familiar face is still close by. This would be the easiest option for the Titans, but they’d have to hope that last season wasn’t the beginning of Gostkowski’s regression.
Dan Bailey: If the Titans wanted to sign a veteran but someone new, Bailey would be one to consider. He’s played 10 NFL seasons, his first seven with the Dallas Cowboys, and the last three with the Minnesota Vikings, who released him in March. He had the worst season of his career in 2020, connecting on 15 of his 22 field goal attempts for 68.2 percent in 16 games, numbers comparable to what Gostkowski did with the Titans.
However, it’s hard to ignore his success. He made the Pro Bowl in 2015 when led the league in field goal percentage (93.8). He ranks 10th among active kickers in that category (85.8 percent).
Sam Sloman: Sloman made two kicks for the Titans in Week 17 of this past season against the Houston Texans, and the latter was the most exhilarating of his career. The kick banked off the right upright as time expired, gave the Titans a 41-38 victory over Houston and clinched their first AFC South title since 2008.
He came to the Titans late last season after a brief stint with the Los Angeles Rams in which he made 8 of 11 field-goal attempts.
Sloman has been consistent in a short sample size but there are concerns about the low trajectory of his kicks. He represents a combination of proven experience and development potential that is lacking with the others.
