If I could rank headlines New York Jets fans wouldn’t want to read coming out of week one of training camp, I think a Justin Fields injury would be one, and kicker problems would be two. Well in true Gang Green fashion, we’ve got both of them.
Luckily the carting off of Justin Fields seemed to be entirely cautionary as the young signal caller found himself back on the practice field just one day later. However, the kicker problem might be more difficult to solve.
The Jets announced during the offseason that they would be moving on from long time upright splitter, Greg Zuerlein, after he struggled in his 13th NFL season.
Then once again the team made headlines when they dipped their toe into the UFL pond, signing Harrison Mervis off of the Birmingham Stallions. The team dropped NFL journeyman kicker Anders Carlson, who finished last season with New York, in the process.
The team also went to the rookie class to find some relief, signing former Ole Miss kicker Caden Davis to a three-year deal.
However, reports emerging from camp say that the two legs have struggled since practice began.
“The kicking was ROUGH today,” The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt wrote on X Thursday. “Both kickers missed multiple field goals (short ones too), including one from Caden Davis at one point that missed badly enough that I turned to someone to ask ‘was that on purpose?’ Davis and Harrison Mevis both lack experience but Aaron Glenn insists he’s not giving up on them.”
Meet Harrison Mevis and Caden Davis
In two short paragraphs I will attempt to tell you everything you need to know about the Jets new kickers. I will then leave you to draw your own conclusion on what New York needs to do with the position.
Harrison Mevis was a STUD in the UFL. All caps for a reason. Last season with the Stallions Mevis connected on 95.2% of his field-goal attempts (20 of 21). He nailed a 56-yarder that went viral on social media and was perfect from less than 50 for the entire year. He was as automatic as a sliding door. Mevis was a two time All-American in college and was originally signed by the Carolina Panthers in 2024 but didn’t make the team.
Caden Davis was the place kicker for the high flying Ole Miss Rebels last season. He drilled 24 of his 29 attempts with a long of 57 yards. He was asked to make a lot of extra points, and he did just that. In his first season with the Rebels, Davis was 45-45 on XPs. This last year, he split the uprights on 57 of 59 attempts in what was a high scoring season.
Should The Jets Consider Signing A Kicker?
It is hard to feel comfortable going into the season with two kickers who have never attempted a field goal in the NFL. This leads some writers to speculate whether the New York Jets should be considering signing a kicker from elsewhere.
While Glenn maintains that the team will not give up on the two young guns, there are a handful of names out there left unsigned.
A pair of 40-year-olds, Matt Prater and Nick Folk, do not have a home this season.
The rest of the free agent class is filled with players who have publicly struggled to make their attempts and it lead to the team replacing them in the middle of the season. Players like Eddy Pineiro, Zane Gonzalez, and Cade York.
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