Who Should I Start? Greg Zuerlein or Rodrigo Blankenship

Tuesday, December 31, 5:39 PM

The New York Jets announced on Tuesday that they placed kicker Greg Zuerlein (knee) and safety Chuck Clark (undisclosed) on Injured Reserve, so they will not be available to play in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival Miami Dolphins on Sunday. The team also signed defensive lineman Phidarian Mathis and linebacker Jamin Davis to the active 53-man roster, signed offensive lineman David Sharpe to the practice squad, signed kicker Greg Joseph to the active roster and released kicker Anders Carlson. The Jets activated Zuerlein from IR last week, but he didn't attempt a kick in the Week 17 loss to the division-rival Buffalo Bills and apparently had a setback with his left knee. The 37-year-old veteran made only nine of his 15 field-goal opportunities and went 13-for-14 on extra points when healthy, so he'll likely be cut this offseason.

Monday, August 21, 6:14 PM

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers waived kicker Rodrigo Blankenship on Monday. Blankenship lost the kicking battle to Chase McLaughlin in training camp this summer and will now look to latch on with another team before the start of the 2023 regular season. The 26-year-old spent last year with the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals, going 4-for-5 on his field-goal tries and 4-for-5 on extra points in just three total games. As long as Tampa doesn't bring in more competition for McLaughlin to close out the preseason, he should enter Week 1 as the team's starting kicker. McLaughlin, 27, made 83.3 percent of his 36 field-goal attempts and made all 21 of his extra-point tries in 16 games with the Indianapolis Colts in 2022. The kicking position in Tampa won't be as exciting in fantasy now that Tom Brady isn't running the offense in 2023.