KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker is known for having a powerful leg.
He drilled a 71-yard field goal during pre-game warm-ups in Mexico City last season, after all, and then used social media to post video of himself during the offseason nailing a 77-yard attempt with a little help from the wind.
It's no secret the fourth-year pro likes to experiment with long-distance kicks not often viewed as routine. Making such kicks has helped develop an attacking mindset.
"I think when you can make those kicks, it makes the 50-yarder _ you know you don't get a ton of those _ those seem really short," Butker said during training camp.
In past seasons, the Chiefs were comfortable with anywhere between 50 to 55 yards when the game counted, depending on conditions.
So where's the potential cutoff for Butker this season?
"His other range last year I think I would probably take him back 55," special teams coordinator Dave Toub said. "We could probably take him back to 60 in a vacuum. I mean, it's unbelievable, but he's that strong.
"Obviously, wind, that's the big factor _ wind and the weather _ obviously cold weather. I mean all that has something to do with it, but in a vacuum, I think he could hit a 60-yarder and I feel pretty good with it."
To put Butker's range in perspective, the NFL record for the longest kick is held by Matt Prater, who booted a 64-yard field goal in 2013. Butker's longest career field goal is 56 yards, which he whistled through the uprights last season.
Butker is already regarded as one of the league's best kickers and has 426 career points in his first three seasons, an NFL record for the most points by any player in his first three seasons.
He also holds numerous team kicking records, including most points for a kicker in a rookie season (142 in 2017), most field goals made in a single season (38 in 2017) and most made extra points in a season (65 in 2018).
Toub, though, isn't looking to the past to build confidence in his kicker. Instead, the special coordinator's faith in the 6-foot-4, 205-pound Butker's potential this season is based on what he noticed during the offseason this summer.
Believe it or not, one of the league's strongest kickers became more powerful.
"He had a great offseason _ he worked hard," Toub said. "Whether it was lifting weights, his diet, getting out and kicking and I think he kicked a little bit more this offseason than he has in the past and he came back strong. I mean, I'd say he probably increased his range by about five yards."
During training camp, Butker showed off that strength.
He booted a field goal from 62 yards during the first fan-attended practice at Arrowhead Stadium. He also narrowly missed a 69-yard attempt after the ball bounced off the crossbar that same day.
After that practice, the Chiefs kicker acknowledged he changed his diet and explained how he used another sport to fine-tune his craft.
"I kind of dialed in this offseason and just thought of things I can do to get stronger, quicker, and to hit that part of the ball," Butker said. "I was thinking about soccer players, like Cristiano Ronaldo, they're very low body fat. That's one area where I could probably get better at.
"I looked at my nutrition and I started eating more meals, eating smaller quantities, and I definitely brought my weight down. I feel stronger and faster than I've ever been. Also, from a technique standpoint, just still finding the sweet spot on the ball."
Given how much stronger Butker is entering the 2020 regular season, will 60-yard attempts become the norm? Could we see one during Thursday night's season opener against the Houston Texans?
Well, everything depends on the weather and game situation.
"He looks like he's hitting it pretty good right now," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "We'll see on game day what develops. We always kind of do a marking there on where the cutoff point is, so we'll see how he does."
.jpg?w=600)
