The Baltimore Ravens are trying to replace Justin Tucker, and are attempting to do so with one of two rookies.
Tyler Loop was drafted in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL draft, and undrafted free agent John Hoyland was brought in to compete against him after Tucker’s release.
The pair began their competition at OTAs, and now they’ll carry it into Baltimore’s three-day mandatory minicamp, which begins on June 17.
Ahead of that, The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec provided an update on the battle, and it’s very clear that, despite his status as a draft pick, Loop is anything but locked in following some struggles at OTAs.
“Both rookie kickers had good days and bad days during OTAs, setting the stage for what will likely be the most scrutinized position battle of training camp,” he stated.
“Loop, the sixth-round pick out of Arizona, will get every opportunity to win the job. He was the guy senior special teams coach and kicking guru Randy Brown wanted after an exhaustive evaluation of the draft-eligible kickers.”
The latest hiccup for Loop came on the final day of OTAs, when he missed four of the nine 50-yard attempts he had at practice. Hoyland, on the other hand, made all six of his tries the day prior.
Zrebiec believes this is very much a “legitimate competition” between the pair of first-year players, although he maintains Loop is still the favorite.
“By all accounts, Loop was kicking really well before he missed 4 of 9 attempts — all from 50-plus yards — with owner Steve Bisciotti looking on at the final OTA last week,” Zrebiec wrote.
“Meanwhile, Hoyland, an undrafted rookie out of Wyoming, made all six of his attempts a day earlier. Brown and the Ravens won’t overreact to one practice. Loop is still the favorite heading into training camp, but Hoyland seems intent on making this a legitimate competition.”
Being that they spent draft capital on him, the Ravens would obviously love for Loop to secure the job. However, they aren’t going to hand it to him.
Given their status as a true contender that could be playing for big things in 2025, it’s surprising the Ravens haven’t opted to bring in a more experienced kicker to compete with Loop.
Perhaps we’ll see that in training camp, but for now it’s between the young guns.
Read the full article here
