Chiefs coordinator backs Harrison Butker as starter despite Justin Tucker’s ‘off the charts’ workout
The Kansas City Chiefs have signed Justin Tucker to their practice squad after Harrison Butker’s recent missed field goals, but special teams coordinator Dave Toub says Butker remains the team’s starting kicker. Toub said the aim is to help Butker improve, while making clear that Tucker’s strong workout earned him a place on the practice squad.
Butker has made 11 of 16 field-goal attempts this season and missed four times in his last four games; he went 10 for 10 in practice during windy conditions. Tucker completed a workout that included 30 kicks, seven attempts from beyond 50 yards and one from 60, with Toub saying 60 per cent landed within a six-foot cylinder between the uprights. Tucker recently served a 10-game suspension under the NFL’s personal conduct policy following misconduct allegations from massage therapists; he has denied them, and the signing has drawn criticism.
In short
- Butker remains Kansas City’s starting kicker for now.
- Tucker impressed in a demanding tryout and joined the practice squad.
- Butker’s recent misses have put his place under scrutiny.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Keeping Butker as the starter could give a proven kicker a chance to regain form, especially after his perfect windy-condition practice, while avoiding a rushed change based on one impressive workout. Tucker’s practice-squad place gives the Chiefs another option and a way to assess his readiness without immediately displacing Butker.
The case against
Butker’s recent misses make reliability a legitimate concern, and Tucker’s workout suggests the Chiefs have a potentially stronger option available. Critics may also argue that signing Tucker after misconduct allegations, despite his denial and suspension, deserves scrutiny; the team’s decision could be seen as giving performance too much weight relative to accountability.
Explained simply
The Kansas City Chiefs are an American football team in the NFL, where kickers score points by sending the ball between the uprights. Harrison Butker has been the Chiefs’ regular starting kicker, while Dave Toub oversees the team’s special teams, including kicking.
Justin Tucker is an experienced NFL kicker who has joined the Chiefs’ practice squad, a reserve group that can train with the team and potentially be called up. His signing follows a run of missed kicks by Butker, but the coaching staff says Butker remains the starter and that Tucker’s workout earned him a place in reserve.
Tucker recently served a 10-game suspension under the NFL’s personal conduct policy after misconduct allegations by massage therapists; he has denied the allegations. His signing has drawn criticism, putting the team’s decision in the context of both its kicking needs and the controversy around Tucker.
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