Tim Warner/Getty Images Cameron Dicker of the Texas Longhorns kicks a field goal against the Kansas State Wildcats at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on November 26, 2021.
The Baltimore Ravens worked out a pair of specialists on August 26, namely former Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers punter Sterling Hofrichter and former Texas Longhorns/Los Angeles Rams kicker/punter Cameron Dicker. The news was first reported by Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, and the signing of Dicker was subsequently announced via the Ravens’ official Twitter account:
T Ronnie Stanley has passed his physical. LB Tyus Bowser has been placed on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list.
We have also signed P Cameron Dicker.
Hofrichter, 25, is the more experienced of the two players. The Syracuse product — listed at 5-foot-10 and 196 pounds — was drafted by the Falcons in the seventh round of the 2020 Draft (No. 228 overall). He served as Atlanta’s punter for the entirety of his rookie year, and also kicked off 22 times that season, with 16 of those efforts going for touchbacks. He also punted 56 times for 2,381 yards, an average of 42.5 yards per effort.
Last season Hofrichter handled kickoffs and punts for the Buccaneers in two games, though he fared less well in terms of touchback percentage and punting average as compared to his time in Atlanta.
He was back with the Bucs this year but got waived in late July to make room for tight end Bug Howard. Shortly afterwards he caught on with the Miami Dolphins, but he failed to survive the second round of roster cuts.
‘Dicker the Kicker’
As for the specialist the Ravens did sign, that would be Cameron Dicker, aka ‘Dicker the Kicker,’ who is listed at 6-foot-1 and 216 pounds and had a 49-game college career at the University of Texas, where he served as a placekicker and punter.
Most notably, Dicker finished his Longhorns career as the school’s all-time leader in field goals made (60) and attempted (79). He was also fourth in program history in career field goal accuracy at 75.9 percent (60-for-79). At one point, he converted 70 consecutive extra-point attempts (2020-21) and made 98.1% of his extra-points over the course of his career.
As senior he was a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award, which is awarded to the nation’s best punter. That year he punted 47 times for 2,200 yards, an average of 46.8 yards per punt, up from the 43.6 yard average he produced as a junior, having taken over the punting duties mid-season after existing punter Ryan Bujcevski suffered a torn ACL.
Dicker went undrafted in the spring of this year but subsequently signed with the defending Super Bowl champion Rams. He was waived by Los Angeles on August 16, having lost the battle for the Rams’ punting job to former New York Giant Riley Dixon.
How will the Ravens Utilize Cameron Dicker?
Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic suspects that the Ravens (2-0) will utilize Dicker and rookie punter Jordan Stout in the preseason finale against the Washington Commanders (0-2), and give placekicker Justin Tucker the night off.
Ravens have also signed P Cameron Dicker. Presumably they’ll use Dicker and Stout tomorrow night and give Tucker night off.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday August 27 at M&T Bank Stadium. Baltimore will be attempting to win its 23rd consecutive preseason game, a streak that dates back to 2016. It’s the longest preseason winning streak in NFL history, surpassing the 19 consecutive games the Green Bay Packers won between 1959-62.
Earlier this month, the Ravens signed Tucker to a four-year contract extension that keeps him in Baltimore through the 2027 season.