Undrafted Rookie Enters Kicking Picture
NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Titans say they have confidence in kicker Greg Joseph.
They also got him some competition.
Almost immediately after the completion of the 2020 NFL Draft on Saturday, general manager Jon Robinson confirmed that former Missouri kicker Tucker McCann, an undrafted free agent, had agreed to sign with the Titans.
Missouri’s primary placekicker for the past four seasons, McCann made 72.6 percent of his field goal attempts (61 of 84). His best season was 2017, when he was 15-for-17 (88.2 percent). His career long kick was 57 yards in 2018, and he finished as the program’s second all-time leading scored.
He doubled as the Tigers’ punter last fall.
“Strong leg. Kicked in the SEC,” Robinson said. “So, excited to add him in here and compete with (Joseph) and see what he’s got.”
Joseph was the Titans’ kicker for the final two games of the 2019 regular season and all three playoff contests. He did not attempt a field goal until the AFC Championship but connected for 30 yards, which was a positive finish to an otherwise disastrous campaign in that regard.
Three others – Ryan Succop, Cairo Santos and Cody Parkey – were a combined 8-for-18 on field goal attempts through the first 14 games. Their collective 44.4 percent success rate was the NFL’s worst since 1983. Santos was 0-4 in a seven-point loss to Buffalo, and Succop was 0-3 in a 10-point defeat at Carolina.
Joseph was undrafted out of Florida Atlantic in 2018. He joined Cleveland early that season and kicked in 14 games. A rookie, albeit a draft pick, beat him out for that job last year in the preseason. He also has spent time Miami and Carolina.
Including the postseason, Joseph has made 18 of 21 career field goal attempts (85.7 percent).
“We have a ton of confidence in (Joseph),” Robinson said. “He did a great job for us. We’ll keep looking, and we want to try to infuse competition at every position. … I think competition brings out the best in all of us.
“But that’s kind of where we’re at right now with the kicker situation.”
