The Tennessee Titans made a big signing on Thursday morning with the addition of veteran kicker Stephen Gostkowski, which led to the team also waiving fellow kicker, Greg Joseph.
Normally, you wouldn’t make a huge deal about an addition at kicker, but the Titans had the worst field goal unit in the NFL last season and Gostkowski was the best option available to shore up the position thanks to his vast experience, which is something the Titans were lacking at kicker.
Before practice on Thursday, head coach Mike Vrabel explained why the Titans decided to go ahead and sign Gostkowski, which was a no-brainer and a move that speaks for itself.
Vrabel on K Stephen Gostkowski's career so far: "Made a bunch of kicks, longevity, and success. This isn't a lifetime achievement award this is everyone's ability of what we're going to this year and we're hopeful that Stephen and everyone else is going to do there job." #Titans
— Kayla Anderson (@KaylaAndersonTV) September 3, 2020
#Titans HC Mike Vrabel: "Wasn’t anything Greg (Joseph) did or didn't do. We had an opportunity to sign a player that we thought could help the team."
On his relationship w/ Gostkowski and if that affected the signing:
"The history with (Gostkowski) doesn’t really mean anything." https://t.co/EtNdOjqW2r— Erik Bacharach (@ErikBacharach) September 3, 2020
Vrabel also stated that the veteran’s kickoffs looked good during his tryout. That’s important to note because the Titans struggled to achieve touchbacks in 2019.
Prior to nabbing the former New England Patriot, the Titans had a major question mark at the position. The two players vying for the starting role, Joseph and Tucker McCann, both lacked experience and weren’t exactly shining during training camp.
Even though neither player will earn the starting job now, it’s possible one of them end up on the practice squad after final cuts are made, as Vrabel hinted the Titans could carry a second kicker.
Vrabel: Not ruling out possibility of keeping two kickers this year — one on active roster, and potentially one on practice squad.@Titans
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) September 3, 2020
It would certainly make sense for the Titans to carry a second kicker as an insurance policy after all the struggles of last season, especially with the practice squad rosters being expanded to 16 players.
Joseph would be the favorite to get the nod there if he passes through waivers.
