It seems like an attempt to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic, but nonetheless the New York Jets added another placekicker to the mix in Week 17.
One day after the Washington Commanders released the veteran, Greg Joseph has signed a practice squad contract with the Jets. Brett Tessler, who represents Joseph, made the announcement through an X post on Wednesday morning.
On Monday, Jets’ interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich hinted a change at kicker was possible at some point this week. Anders Carlson, a midseason addition to replace veteran Greg Zuerlein, missed a PAT and a fourth-quarter field goal attempt in the 19-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on December 22.
“The next couple days, we’re going to talk about it. We had a long talk about it this morning, so we’ll make a decision probably this afternoon about the decision, the direction we want to go,” said Ulbrich, who is preparing his team to visit the five-time AFC East champion Buffalo Bills.
Zuerlein, who struggled mightily during the season’s first half, has been on Injured Reserve since October 30. After a short experiment with Riley Patterson, the Jets made Carlson their primary kicker in Week 11. He appeared in five consecutive games, making 8 of 10 field goal attempts and hitting 9 of 11 PATs.
Joseph started every game for Minnesota Vikings over a three-year period (2021-23). His signature moment came on December 24, 2022 when he hit a 61-yard field goal to beat the New York Giants at the gun.
Over his career, Joseph has succeeded on 82.1 percent of field goal attempts and 90.6 percent of extra points. Making seven appearances over brief stints with the Commanders and Giants this season, Joseph made 15 of 19 three-point attempts and posted an 8-of-8 clip on PATs.
By the sound of Ulbrich’s Wednesday comments, the Jets will choose one of three kickers.
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“We signed a practice squader. Obviously, we have Anders still on the roster. We’re gonna let these guys compete as the week goes on,” said Ulbrich on Wednesday.
Answering a follow-up question while addressing reporters virtually, Ulbrich noted that Zuerlein “has absolutely been part of the conversation.”
With the Jets at 4-11 overall, and two games remaining, the mostly-cosmetic move seems pointless at this stage of the season and it makes them no more likely to upset the Bills on Sunday.
© David Butler II
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