The Falcons may not have re-signed veteran placekicker Matt Bryant as fans had hoped for, but the team has added former Vikings and Seahawks kicker Blair Walsh to compete with struggling Giorgio Tavecchio.
Coach Dan Quinn has told the media that it’s an open competition. Walsh is embracing it, telling reporters after today’s practice “let the best man win.”
He also said his mentality is that he’ll be Atlanta’s starting kicker in 2019.
Walsh was out of the league in 2018, but has a much better track record of success in the NFL than Tavecchio. Just 29 years old, Walsh has made 154 career field goals on an 82.4 percent rate and converted 193 of 203 extra point attempts.
Tavecchio was perfect for Atlanta last season. However, it was a small sample size. He made five field goals and eight extra kicks. So far during this preseason, he’s only hit half of his field goal attempts.
For Walsh, it’s a chance to get a once promising career back on track and a wake up call for Tavecchio that mediocrity won’t be tolerated.
