It’s a good thing Ravens rookie K Tyler Loop is already showing off his leg, Baltimore having discarded Justin Tucker. Granted, Tucker was already seeing a steady decline in his performance, 2024 representing a particularly concerning nadir. But just because you draft a kicker doesn’t mean he’s going to work out.
And just because Tyler Loop is doing well so far doesn’t mean he’s going to have a patch on Tucker. Despite his alleged transgressions and his late-career decline, he remains arguably the most remarkable kicker in NFL history. Considering how many games he won for the Ravens over the years, that was no easy decision to move on.
But the Ravens did opt to move on, making Loop one of two kickers drafted this year, both in the sixth round. Though the Patriots took one first, Baltimore seemingly landed its preferred option. And shortly thereafter, the Ravens released Tucker, who is unsurprisingly not a hot commodity. Indeed, it appears he is even selling his mansion after losing his lucrative contract.
As for Loop, he is just getting started. While the Ravens haven’t had him kicking every day, he is reportedly 6-for-6 thus far. And that includes one make from 60-plus yards, at which distance even Tucker struggled with accuracy.
Asked about Tyler Loop during OTAs, Ravens HC John Harbaugh said they are keeping track. “I can tell you this: They were all right down the middle. But I had a good angle seeing them. They were right down the middle. [Loop] made that 60-yarder easily, so it was a good start”.
At the end of the day, a good start is better than a bad one, even if it isn’t much to go on. Going 6-for-6 in OTAs with a 60-yard make is fine, though not much of a story. Had Loop gone 3-for-6 with a shank from 35, that would be a very different, much bigger one.
But the fact that Tyler Loop is replacing Justin Tucker also makes it a story. He has the biggest shoes to fill of any kicker in the history of the game, especially for a young franchise. Tucker is—or was—one of the icons of Ravens history, the highest-paid kicker for a reason.
And let’s be honest, it’s easier to try to find the next Justin Tucker right off the bat than it is the next Troy Polamalu. Very few kickers go in the first several rounds of the draft. The fifth round and on tends to be the prime range, Loop going in the sixth.
Another reason that it’s a big deal: the AFC North and the Steelers. Pittsburgh has arguably the greatest kicker in the game today in Chris Boswell. If the division title should game down to their games, and Pittsburgh has the kicking advantage, then you never know what might happen. Tucker went 1-for-3 in the Ravens’ two-point loss to the Steelers last year. They need Tyler Loop to be the Justin Tucker of five years ago.
Matthew Marczi
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