The Chargers waived kicker Chase McLaughlin, according to Sirius XM Radio’s Adam Caplan. Los Angeles signed McLaughlin back in October to fill in for Michael Badgley while he was dealing with a groin injury. Given that no reports have emerged tying the Chargers to another kicker, it seems likely to expect Badgley to return to the field.
Originally, the Chargers had their punter, Ty Long, handle both punting and kicking duties to start the season. Through four games, Long was 7 of 9 on field goals and 9 of 9 on extra points, but after their Week 4 victory against the Dolphins he appeared to come up limping. While Long has continued handling punting duties, McLaughlin stepped in over the past four weeks and maintained similar success.
McLaughlin, a rookie, served as the kicker for Illinois from 2016-2018. After going undrafted, he signed with the Bills as an undrafted free agent. He quickly was released in Buffalo and then caught on with Minnesota’s practice squad before being released once again before catching on in Los Angeles.
In his four games as the Chargers kicker, McLaughlin handled kickoff duties, made 6 of 9 field goal attempts and was 7 of 7 on extra points. McLaughlin did make a field goal from beyond 5o yards but also missed three of his four attempts between 40 and 49 yards.
Badgley, in his second season out of Miami, was one of the most accurate kickers as a rookie in 2018. Last season, over 10 games, he made 15 of 16 field goal attempts with just one miss on 28 PAT tries.