by Jeff Moeller ,The New York Extra/TheNYExtra.com
The Jets quietly added another major piece to their puzzle recently.
It truly can be a difference maker this season.
It has been a position that raised plenty of eyebrows about the constant changing of the guard. Also, it is a position that will play a major role in the Jets’ developing offense behind quarterback Zach Wilson.
They signed veteran kicker Greg Zuerlein, who made 82.9 percent of his field goal attempts in each of his last two years in Dallas. The 34-year-old Zeurlein made his mark with the Rams for eight years before he moved on to Dallas in 2020.
For his career, Zuerlein has made 82.2 percent of his kicks (264 of 321). You can find better, but Zuerlein’s numbers can provide plenty of confidence.
He gives the Jets a veteran and reliable presence for the first time since Jason Myers, who hit 91.7 percent of his attempts in 2018.
The Jets decided to let Myers walk in free agency, and their kicking game hasn’t had the same stride since he left.
Before that, veteran Nick Folk was a mainstay from 2010 to 2016, but the Jets surprisingly let him go. He has haunted them ever since in Tampa and lately in New England.
Sam Ficken had a shaky 2019 season, but he was brought back the following season. Ficken rebounded and appeared to be their answer. Yet, he was stunningly cut before the end of training camp last year.
Last season, the Jets began the season with Tommy Amendola and then switched gears to ex-Bears standout Eddie Pineiro. Ammedola converted 13 of 19 field-goal attempts before he was deactivated and eventually released in mid-December. Pineiro connected on all eight attempts in his five games.
Pineiro looked like the solution for their issue, but now it will be interesting to see if he is around to compete with Zuerlein.
Zuerlein has proved to be reliable on the short and intermediate kicks, but he does struggle with those 50 yards and longer. He has been slightly above average in kicks below 50 yards, but he falls to nearly 9 percent below the league average in the longer attempts.
The Zuerlein signing doesn’t carry the swagger of a trade for a wide receiver or the signing or trade of a edge rusher, which the Jets need. Punter Braden Mann apparently has put any qualms to rest with his past two seasons.
But Zuerlein’s presence can be comfort and stability to a position in which the Jets have mysteriously handled the past few seasons.
