Justin Tucker has been the Baltimore Ravens’ kicker since his rookie season in 2012, but considering recent events, his days in Charm City might be numbered.
Over the past several weeks, 16 Baltimore-area massage therapists have accused Tucker of inappropriate sexual behavior between his rookie season of 2012 and 2016. The NFL is now actively looking the allegations, as the league sent investigators to speak with some of the women who accused Tucker.
Both general manager Eric DeCosta and head coach John Harbaugh were clear that they wanted to wait for the league’s investigation to conclude, but as the number of accusers continues to increase, it seems more and more likely that he has played his final game in a Ravens uniform.
If that’s the case, then the Ravens have big void to fill on the field. Tucker is the most accurate kicker in league history even after making a career-low 73.3 percent of his field goals this season, so those are some big shoes to fill.
As expected, the Ravens are taking a good look at kickers in this year’s draft.
“We’re looking at kickers,” Harbaugh told reporters Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine. “We’re looking at every position, but I’d say the kicker position would’ve been a priority no matter what. Justin’s our kicker, we love him, and I would’ve always expected him to keep going forever, but nobody goes forever.”
Some of the top kickers in this year’s draft include Florida State’s Ryan Fitzgerald, Miami’s Andres Borregales and Pitt’s Ben Sauls, though there are other quality options as well.
Regardless of how’s kicking for the Ravens, they have faith in their staff to develop them properly.
“We’re blessed to have a really good kickers coach in Randy Brown, who does a phenomenal job evaluating punters and kickers and long snappers for us every single season,” DeCosta said. “We’ll meet with Randy throughout the process. Over the coming weeks, he’ll travel all over the country looking at these guys, and we’ll build the best board that we can.”
