Getty New York Jets kicker Eddy Pineiro celebrating after a huge make during an NFL game.
Things are heating up during New York Jets OTAs.
With a variety of new additions to the roster, there is unbelievable competition at several positions.
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This Is Getting Juicy
Rally the troops it’s time to talk about a kicking competition in June!
Special teams coordinator Brant Boyer spoke with the media on Thursday, June 9 to give an update on one of the hottest battles this summer:
“It has been good seeing those guys battling back and forth. It has been a really tight competition, they’re doing a nice job, it is neck-and-neck. We’ll see what happens as we get through mandatory minicamp, training camp, and of course, what matters is the games in the preseason. That is going to determine who we keep and who we don’t.”
#Jets ST Coordinator Brant Boyer says the kicking competition is ‘tight’ & says it’s ‘neck and neck’ between Eddy Pineiro (@EddyPineiro), Greg Zuerlein but ultimately things will be decided in #JetsCamp & the preseason: 🎥 @nyjets #TakeFlight
The two guys he is referencing are the incumbent Eddy Pineiro and veteran Greg Zuerlein.
Pineiro was originally acquired back on December 6 and finished out the 2021 season for the Jets. While Zuerlein signed with Gang Green during the free agency period this offseason on March 26.
Right now in June, they are “within a few kicks” of one another with no clear “front runner right now.”
#Jets ST coordinator Brant Boyer says Eddy Pineiro and Greg Zuerlein are “neck and neck” in their competition to be the team’s kicker.
Boyer says it’s “within a few kicks” and there’s “not a front-runner right now.” Competition will go into training camp/preseason games.
Ultimately the competition right now is simply window dressing, when the lights are brightest is when things will really start to separate later this offseason.
Jets preseason schedule:
Week 1: at Philadelphia Eagles (Friday, August 12)
Week 2: vs Atlanta Falcons (Monday, August 22)
Week 3: vs New York Giants (Sunday, August 28)
First World Problem
When talking about the competition Boyer said, “whoever we end up keeping I think we’re in pretty good shape to be honest with you.”
Some people may interpret that as coach speak, what else is he going to say, however that feels like an honest take.
Last year the Jets were playing a weird game of musical chairs at kicker and it didn’t feel like there were any good answers.
Fast forward a year and it seems like they have two legitimate options heading into training camp this year. Realistically either one of these two could win the job and they bring very different things to the table.
Pineiro was red hot for the Jets in 2021 going 8-for-8 with a 100 percent conversion rate. However, that was in a limited five-game sample size and prior to signing with the Jets, he hadn’t been in the league since 2019.
El pateador pinolero Eddy Piñeiro consiguió un gol de campo y totalizó 5 puntos en la derrota de los @nyjets 28-24 ante los @Buccaneers en la semana 17 de la NFL. #NFL #Jets
While on the other side of the coin, ‘Greg the Leg’ has forgotten more about kicking than most of us will ever know.
The 34-year-old will be entering his 11th season in the NFL on his third different team in 2022.
Over the last two years, Zuerlein has had an 82.9 percent conversion rate which is right at his career average (82.2 percent).
Although last year he was recovering from offseason back surgery, Boyer mentioned during his presser that he hasn’t noticed any issues since Zuerlein joined the team back in March.
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