Ahead of the preseason finale, the Atlanta Falcons enter into the 2019 season with an uneasy situation at kicker. Currently, former Georgia Bulldog Blair Walsh and Giorgio Tavecchio are in a kicking competition. Neither has been particularly impressive. After Tavecchio struggled his way to a four out of eight preseason, the Falcons felt it necessary to bring in the UGA product: Walsh.
Walsh will get his chance to kick in live-action tonight against the Jacksonville Jaguars. His efforts could be in vein after he reportedly put together a five out of nine performance earlier this week in practice. Walsh has struggled with consistency as a kicker, but will have a chance to put some good tape this week at the very least. ESPN’s Adam Schefter laid out the Falcons’ kicker situation plainly:
You have to agree with Schefter on this one. Bryant has been incredibly effective for the Falcons and although he is forty-four, he still has some gas left in the tank. Best of luck to Walsh tonight, but the writing is on the wall for the Falcons to make a last second signing of Bryant.
Walsh could still land on a perpetually kicker-needy team like the Chicago Bears or Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Preseason games still have loads of pressure for kickers who’re scratching and clawing to make a roster. Injuries happen to kickers too, so that’s another route for Walsh or Tavecchio to make a mark in the NFL.
