Football
The Ravens drafted a kicker with Justin Tucker under investigation, but HC John Harbaugh, claims Tyler Loop’s future will be based on football. Of course, I’m sure they pivot in a hurry if the NFL’s investigation turns up sufficiently unsavory details. To their advantage in that regard is the fact that Tucker has already entered his decline, like Ray Rice previously. But then the question that follows is, does Tyler Loop have the chops?
The Ravens selected him in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft but have consistently evaded the obvious. At no point have they been willing to say that the decision had anything to do with the ongoing investigation. We all know that it very much does, though.
“From the standpoint of the investigation and all that, we don’t know anything”, Harbaugh said about the NFL’s investigation into Tucker, via the team’s website, the Ravens more than willing to embrace the role of ostrich in this case. “We haven’t been given any information, as it should be”.
He went on to say that since the Ravens don’t know any details about the investigation into Tucker, they “can’t make any decisions based on that. Every decision we make has to be based on football”. Until the league concludes its investigation and issues its findings, which I imagine will be before roster cuts.
Following the worst season of his career, Justin Tucker faces numerous allegations of sexual misconduct while receiving therapeutic massages. He has naturally denied all wrongdoing; as of yet, the NFL has revealed no details of its findings. His case, though, brings to mind that of Browns QB Deshaun Watson. The league suspended him for 11 games after finding the accusations against him credible.
“You’ve got a rookie kicker in [Tyler Loop] here. We took him in the sixth round, early in the sixth round. He’s a talented guy”, Harbaugh said of Tucker’s challenger. “Just from a football standpoint, salary cap, all the different things that you just take into consideration – whatever we decide to do over the next few weeks would be based on football”.
Last season, Tucker only connected on 22 of his 30 field goal attempts, or 73.3 percent. He has hit below 90 percent for three consecutive seasons now, 2024 marking his lowest conversion rate since 2015. Until recently, he was the only player in NFL history with a career percentage north of 90. He currently sits at 89.1 percent, which still ranks as the best of all time. The five leading kickers in field goal percentage are all active, including the Steelers’ Chris Boswell.
Long considered the greatest kicker both active and of all time, Justin Tucker is arguably ceding the former to Boswell. He led the NFL with 41 made field goals last season out of 44 attempts. In addition, he connected on 13-of-15 from 50-plus yards. Prior to the 2024 season, that would have been the most in NFL history. Tucker has only reached double digits once with 10 in 2016.
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