For the second time this year, the Falcons are making a kicker change. They are waiving Parker Romo after a crucial missed extra point, and a more experienced option will replace him.
Zane Gonzalez resurfaced in Atlanta today for a workout, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport, who reports the team will make a Romo-for-Gonzalez switch at kicker. Gonzalez, who will follow Younghoe Koo and Romo as Falcons kickers this season, last kicked for the Commanders in 2024.
It took Gonzalez three years to find another gig following his 2021 Panthers cameo; he did not kick during the 2022 or ’23 seasons. But the persistent specialist became part of Washington’s kicker carousel last year. The Commanders stuck with Gonzalez to close the season and re-signed him in March, but they moved on for Matt Gay in free agency this past offseason.
Tuesday marked Gonzalez’s second Falcons audition this season; he was part of the contingent that worked out in September, as the team considered replacing Koo. The Falcons did end up cutting Koo, their kicker since 2019, but Romo became their replacement. Romo went 11 of 14 on field goals and made 12 of 13 extra points. Of course, the miss proved costly in a 24-23 loss to the Patriots. Romo also missed a field goal inside of 40 yards this season. Last year as a Vikings fill-in, Romo 11-for-12 and 7-for-8 on PATs.
Gonzalez, 30, was 5-for-7 on field goal tries with the Commanders last year. In the playoffs, he was 7-for-8. Between the regular season and the playoffs, the journeyman specialist was 27-for-27 on PATs. The league moving the PAT line back many years ago has created a complication for kickers, and teams have made changes — the Giants also among them — based on close-range misfires.
This will be Gonzalez’s fifth NFL team. Prior to Carolina, he kicked with Cleveland and Arizona. The Falcons going in this direction is interesting, considering they have two kickers — Lenny Krieg and Ben Sauls — on their practice squad. The rare three-kicker commitment does feature only one (Gonzalez) with any game experience. Koo had beaten out Krieg, a German import, for the Week 1 job.
Couldn’t give Rodrigo Blankenship a tryout?
He’s 2 for 5 from 50+ with a career long in the NFL of 53.
Won’t cut it in the NFL + his hip injury issues have sapped any potential he had left. Even in the UFL his long was from 56.
He lost to Matt Ammendola of all people in a kicking competition doesn’t get much worse than that.
Blame the kickers, Fire WR coach, accuse the Patriots of cheating, etc. etc….This team is circling the drain fast.
John Parker Romo
Falcons will probably go through 5 kickers by the time the season ends and this is a team that plays in a dome.