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Zane Gonzalez

Falcons To Explore K Options

September 9th, 2025 at 1:40pm CST by Adam La Rose

SEPTEMBER 9: The Falcons have indeed added another kicker by signing John Parker Romo to the practice squad, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Romo emerged as the best option out of a tryout group that also included Zane Gonzalez, Michael Badgley, and Ben Sauls, per Pelissero.

SEPTEMBER 8: In the wake of their Week 1 loss, the Browns expressed confidence in kicker Andre Szmyt and indicated no competition would be brought in. The opposite is true in the case of the Falcons.

Atlanta will look into alternative options at the position, head coach Raheem Morris said on Monday. Younghoe Koo narrowly made one of his kicks yesterday, with a deflection off one of the uprights resulting in a successful attempt. At the end of the contest, though, a 44-yard field goal which would have tied the game was missed.

“We have to bring a competitive edge,” Morris said (via The Athletic’s Josh Kendall). “We have to go out there and look. We have to bring in people to compete. It definitely creates that sense of urgency. It’s about the process you have to go through from a physical and mental standpoint.”

Morris added (via Kendall) Koo is the incumbent for the time being but said the team will explore veteran as well as “up and coming” options. With over $8MM in cap space, finances will not be an issue if an addition is to be made. For now, attention will turn to the free agents who choose to visit the Falcons, with Eddy Pineiro, Zane Gonzalez, and Greg Joseph among the most notable names on the market.

Koo enjoyed a strong run with the Falcons beginning in 2019. The 31-year-old South Korean earned a Pro Bowl nod the following year and remained among the league’s most consistent kickers until 2024. Last year, Koo missed nine of his 34 field goal attempts, resulting in a career-low accuracy rate of 73.5%.

A training camp competition took place involving Lenny Krieg, was was waived during roster cuts but retained via a practice squad agreement. Morris said the German-born Krieg, who first signed with Atlanta in March, is considered a developmental player but added he will receive another opportunity to earn the kicking gig. Koo has two years remaining on his contract and is owed a total of $8.5MM over that span.

A parting of ways between he and the Falcons has been speculated about dating back to last season’s struggles, but that has not been the case so far. It will nevertheless be interesting to see how the coming days play out with Atlanta searching out alternatives.

Bills Work Out Three Kickers

August 31st, 2025 at 9:03pm CST by Ely Allen

For the second year in a row, the Bills are doing their due diligence on kickers amidst concerns with regular kicker Tyler Bass. Bass’s kicking performance in 2024 was about the same as the prior year that prompted the first host of kickers, but per USA Today’s Nick Wojton, there are now injury concerns also in consideration.

According to Wojton, Bass missed most of training camp with a pelvic injury. He was able to be cleared in time for the preseason finale, making three of his four attempts in that game, but there are clearly concerns about his ability to be reliable here at the start of the season.

As said last year, and as if to underline the point, Bass has been nothing if not consistent. In his first three seasons, Bass missed four field goals attempts in each regular season. In both 2023 and 2024, Bass went exactly 24-for-29. Last year, Bass went a perfect 4-for-4 on field goals over 50 yards but missed four from 40-49 yards and one from 20-29 yards.

His rookie season saw him miss two field goals and an extra point attempt in the playoffs, and his second trip to the postseason the next year saw him miss two more extra point attempts. He cleaned it up with a perfect postseason in 2022, though he didn’t attempt a kick over 40 yards, but 2023 saw him miss three postseason field goal attempts, including one late in the team’s divisional round loss to the Chiefs. He turned it around again in 2024, going a perfect 6-for-6 in the postseason, including two from beyond 50 yards.

With injuries serving as a potential hindrance to Bass starting the regular season, the team hosted three free agent kickers — up one from last year. According to Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports, Eddy Pineiro, Zane Gonzalez, and Greg Joseph came in to work out with the Bills.

Gonzalez has been around the longest of the three, getting drafted in the seventh round by the Browns in 2017. Gonzalez appeared in six games for the Commanders in 2024 but hadn’t appeared in a game before that since the 2021 season.

Joseph had three straight seasons with the Vikings from 2021-23, but the team allowed him to walk in free agency after watching him struggle with accuracy issues. Last year, Joseph appeared in eight games with three different teams; he kicked in six games with the Giants and a game apiece with the Commanders and Jets, going 16-for-20 overall.

Pineiro has been the Panthers’ primary kicker for each of the past three seasons. He’s been impressive as a field goal kicker, going 33-for-35 in his first year with the team and 5-for-7 from beyond 50 yards in his second year with the team. His biggest struggle has oddly been with extra points. During his time in Carolina, Pineiro has missed seven extra point attempts.

While Bass has had his struggles at times in Buffalo, it’s clear that none of the options visiting this weekend are clear upgrades over the 28-year-old. If Bass ends up needing to miss any time due to his pelvis injury, though, look for one of the veteran kickers to land on the practice squad in Buffalo, so they can be called up as a standard gameday elevation, if needed.

Dolphins Set 53-Man Roster, Begin Search For Kicker

August 26th, 2025 at 9:39pm CST by Ely Allen

The Dolphins got their roster down to 53 players this afternoon and, in the process, officially placed kicker Jason Sanders on IR. Here are the rest of the team’s moves:

Released:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Waived (with injury settlement):

Placed on IR (designated for return):

Placed on reserve/PUP:

In four seasons with the team, Eichenberg has started at every position on the offensive line. The Dolphins will miss his versatility while he’s out, but head coach Mike McDaniel confirmed recently that Eichenberg’s injury is not a season-ending one.

Sanders’ hip injury landed him on injured reserve, meaning Miami will be without him for at least the first month of the season. To deal with his absence, the Dolphins hosted four veteran kickers — Zane Gonzalez, Greg Joseph, Riley Patterson, and Eddy Pineiro — for tryouts today, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Besides that, there weren’t many surprises in the cuts today. Tindall had been a core special teamer for each of his first three years in Miami but may have to find his way to the field through the practice squad. According to Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network, Murphy had a really strong summer with the team and should be back on the practice squad, as long as he clears waivers.

Dolphins Work Out Greg Zuerlein, Riley Patterson, Zane Gonzalez

August 26th, 2025 at 12:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Dolphins are hosting some experienced kickers as they aim to find the best fill-in option for the injured Jason Sanders. In addition to meeting with Eddy Pineiro, Miami auditioned Greg Zuerlein, Riley Patterson and Zane Gonzalez, per the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson.

Patterson may be the lead candidate here, with Jackson adding the Dolphins have expressed interest in adding the nomadic specialist as the fill-in option after being impressed with his workout. Patterson has been a free agent since March, having been with five teams in 2024.

The Jaguars, Commanders, Jets, Falcons and Browns rostered Patterson between July and December last year. This cross-country journey also included workouts elsewhere in between stints with teams. Despite his five-team tour, Patterson only kicked in five games last season. He was 16 of 16 on extra points and 4 of 7 on field goals. In his most recent extended work (with the 2023 Lions), Patterson — a 2023 trade acquisition from Jacksonville — was 15-for-17 on FG tries. At 25, Patterson is by far the youngest of the four options the Dolphins surveyed today.

A 13-year veteran, Zuerlein spent the past three seasons with the Jets. The former All-Pro struggled in his second Jets season, missing crucial kicks during the team’s 5-12 campaign. Zuerlein kicked in just eight games, making only 9 of 16 field goal tries. However, he was 35-for-38 in 2023 as a Jet, leading to a two-year, $8.4MM re-signing in 2024. The Jets cut bait on that contract in March, releasing the former Rams and Cowboys kicker after he finished last season on IR (with Patterson as one of the fill-in options).

Gonzalez kicked in six Commanders games last season, representing his first action since 2021. He was 5-for-7 on field goals and 19-for-19 on PATs. Gonzalez finished last season as Washington’s kicker and re-signed with the team in March, but the Commanders cut him shortly after the draft. Colts cut Matt Gay replaced Gonzalez in Washington.

Commanders To Sign K Matt Gay, Release K Zane Gonzalez

April 29th, 2025 at 11:05am CST by Adam La Rose

Matt Gay‘s time as a free agent has not lasted long. The veteran kicker has agreed to a deal with the Commanders, per his agents (via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network).

This will be a one-year deal worth $4.25MM fully guaranteed. That figure represents the highest locked-in total for a kicker on a one-year accord in league history. Pelissero notes Gay’s 2025 earnings can top out at $5MM via incentives.

Earlier this month, the Colts released Gay halfway through his four-year, $22.5MM pact. The 31-year-old became a free agent as a result, but to little surprise he did not line up a deal prior to the draft taking place. Like almost all teams, the Commanders did not use a draft pick on the position this past weekend. That opened the door to Zane Gonzalez remaining in place as the team’s kicker for 2025, but Pelissero reports he has been released in a corresponding move to the Gay signing.

Gonzalez was limited to six games in 2024, his first year of regular season action since 2021. The former Brown, Cardinal and Panther connected on five of seven field goal attempts for Washington when healthy, with the team cycling though numerous other options during the campaign. One year remained on Gonzelez’s contract; this release will result in $1.03MM in cap savings for the team without generating a dead money charge.

Gay’s career accuracy rate sits at 85.5%. He was unable to reach that figure (or match his Rams success) during his two seasons in Indianapolis as issues with long-range attempts proved to be key. Gay missed six field goal attempts in 2024, each of which were at a distance of 50-plus yards. From within that range, he was a perfect 31-for-31 along with a 100% success rate on extra points.

The Commanders entered Tuesday with more than $26MM in cap space, so this move will not alter the team’s post-draft free agent plans. If Gay manages to remain healthy next season, he will likely provide them with a strong option in the kicking game.

Commanders Re-Sign K Zane Gonzalez

March 6th, 2025 at 12:34pm CST by Adam La Rose

Zane Gonzalez closed out the campaign with the Commanders, and his performance during that period has earned him an extended stay in the nation’s capital. The veteran kicker was re-signed on Thursday, per a team announcement.

Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post reports this will be a one-year deal worth the veteran minimum. As a result, Gonzalez will collect $1.17MM in 2025 to remain Washington’s kicker. The 29-year-old was added in November, and he made a combined nine regular and postseason appearances with his latest team.

An injury to Austin Seibert left the Commanders in need of a midseason addition, and Gonzalez filled in well enough to land a new deal. The latter connected on five of his seven field goal tries in the regular season, and went seven-for-eight during the playoffs. Gonzalez also made all of his extra point kicks. His FG accuracy has seen numerous swings over the course of his career, but overall it stands at 80%.

The Arizona state product was drafted by the Browns in 2017, but he made only 18 appearances with the team. Gonzalez then had a run of two-plus years with the Cardinals before enjoying his most accurate season in 2021 with Carolina. He did not see any regular season game action in 2022 or ’23, but his return to the fold in Washington will allow him to continue his career.

Seibert is a pending free agent, and today’s news is obviously a strong sign he will be heading elsewhere on the open market. Given the low-cost nature of this pact, though, the Commanders could certainly look to add training camp competition at the kicker spot sometime this offseason.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/2/24

December 2nd, 2024 at 6:45pm CST by Ely Allen

Monday’s minor transactions:

Atlanta Falcons

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

The Falcons get the second-round rookie, Orhorhoro, back from injured reserve for the closing stretch of the season. The Clemson-product has seen minimal time in his first NFL season, rotating in for only four games so far, but Atlanta will take whatever help it can get on a defense that is dead-last in the league with only 15 sacks on the year.

Zappe was signed off the Patriots’ practice squad following Deshaun Watson‘s placement on IR. Jameis Winston has performed admirably in relief of Watson, and the team must have confidence in second-year backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson behind him.

Shenault continues to struggle to find a place on an NFL offense, but he did carve out a role as a strong kick returner in Seattle this year. That added ability may help him find another roster spot soon.

Gill is the second punter the Buccaneers have waived this year. Gill’s yards per punt average of 43.3 currently ranks for 33rd in the NFL.

Seymour has served the league’s six-game suspension for violating its performance-enhancing drugs policy and is now able to return to the field.

Commanders Cut Former First-Round CB Emmanuel Forbes, Place RB Austin Ekeler On IR

November 30th, 2024 at 4:39pm CST by Ely Allen

The Commanders opened up two roster spots today with a pair of surprising transactions. Washington continued its purging of the previous regime’s players by waiving former first-round draft pick Emmanuel Forbes in the middle of his second year. The other roster spot was opened by veteran running back Austin Ekeler being placed on injured reserve.

In 2023, the Commanders took chance on Forbes, drafting him out of Mississippi State over Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez despite a near-league-consensus that Gonzalez was the better prospect and despite major concerns over Forbes’ size. Since 2000, Forbes is the only cornerback to be drafted after weighing in under 170 pounds at the NFL scouting combine. Still, his senior season for the Bulldogs saw him pick off six passes (returning three for touchdowns) and defend 10 other passes. He finished his collegiate career with 14 interceptions (six returned for touchdowns) and 21 passes defensed.

His ability to play the ball continued in his rookie season, in which he collected his first interception and 10 passes defensed. Forbes sophomore season has seen him struggle with injury throughout the year, missing six games over the first 12 of the season and has seen him fall behind multiple later-round prospects on the depth chart. As a result, Washington attempted to gauge trade interest in their former first-rounder, but failing to find a suitor, they’ve opted to waive him.

Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post notes the continued trend of Commanders drafted by the team’s former regime parting ways in some way or another. Since 2019, every first-round selection — Montez Sweat, Dwayne Haskins, Chase Young, Jamin Davis, Jahan Dotson, and Forbes — has either been cut or traded.

Ekeler is yet another example this year of a player being sent to IR with a concussion designation. The 29-year-old did not practice at all this week because of the head injury and has apparently failed to make it through the league’s concussion protocol and will require a multi-week recovery period. The veteran has not quite produced up to his numbers in Los Angeles, but he’s the team’s third-leading rusher (behind quarterback Jayden Daniels and Brian Robinson) and third on the team in receptions. He trails only wide receiver Terry McLaurin in total yards from scrimmage. Ekeler’s total production in both phases of the offense won’t be easily replaced, but players like Jeremy McNichols and Olamide Zaccheaus will likely try to fill those roles.

The Commanders did not officially fill either of the vacated roster spots today, but they did announce two temporary standard gameday practice squad elevations for tomorrow. Defensive tackle Carl Davis and kicker Zane Gonzalez will be called up for tomorrow’s game. With Austin Seibert getting placed on IR earlier this week, Gonzalez will serve as the team’s kicker for the third time this year.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/14/24

November 14th, 2024 at 7:02pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Washington Commanders

Cory Trice was back at practice for the Steelers today after being sidelined for more than a month with a hamstring injury. The 2023 seventh-round pick made his NFL debut in Week 1 of the 2024 campaign, and he snagged his first career interception in Week 2. When he returns, he’ll likely slide back to an end-of-the-depth-chart CB/special teamer for Pittsburgh. With Trice returning to practice, the Steelers will now have 21 days to activate the player to the active roster.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/9/24

November 9th, 2024 at 9:11pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor moves, including standard gameday practice squad elevations:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

  • Elevated: LB Curtis Bolton, WR Isaiah Hodgins

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Spector will miss at least the next four games as a result of the Bills’ move. He has remained a mainstay on special teams this year, having also done so in 2022 and ’23. The former seventh-rounder has made three starts on defense, however, so his absence will be felt moving forward. Linebacker has been a position hit hard by injuries this season, and Buffalo’s depth at the second level will now be tested even further.

Wattenberg had his 21-day practice window opened by the Broncos earlier this week, paving the way for today’s activation. The 27-year-old operated as the team’s starting center prior to going down after having won a summer competition for the gig with Alex Forsyth. Forsyth handled first-team duties over the past four games, drawing a superior PFF evaluation and therefore potentially playing his way into an extended look atop the depth chart. At a minimum, having Wattenberg back will give Denver – a team with three IR activations left – depth up front.

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