Getty New York Jets kicker Matt Ammendola.
It appears that the Kansas City Chiefs might not rely on safety Justin Reid to kick field goals for them moving forward if Harrison Butker is too injured to play.
The Chiefs are signing kicker Matt Ammendola to their practice squad, according to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero. Amendola won a kicking competition among six free agents in Kansas City on September 12 that included Cameron Dicker, Elliott Fry, Chase McLaughlin, Cody Parkey and Tristan Vizcaino, per Pelissero.
Matt Ammendola won a six-man kicker derby today in Kansas City that also included Cameron Dicker, Elliott Fry, Chase McLaughlin, Cody Parkey and Tristan Vizcaino.
In Kansas City’s 44-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1, Butker injured his ankle. The injury forced Butker away from doing kickoffs, which is why Reid was seen doing kickoffs for the Chiefs. Butker did remain on the field goal unit after the injury but had to shorten his wind-up to prevent further injury.
#Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker took just one step in his wind up before he made the 54-yard field goal. Incredible. #ChiefsKingdom
Head coach Andy Reid provided no further details after the game regarding Butker’s injury. But the signing of Ammendola foreshadows Butker potentially missing the Chiefs’ Week 2 against the Los Angeles Chargers, with the game taking place on Thursday, September 15.
Ammendola entered the league undrafted out of Oklahoma State in 2021. He signed with the New York Jets in July of 2021 and played in 11 games for them during the 2021 season. During that season, Ammendola made 13-of-19 field goal attempts and 14-of-15 point-after attempts, according to Pro Football Reference.
Ammendola was waived by the Jets in March and spent time with the Houston Texans this summer.
Reid Reacts to Kicking in Regular Season Game
Speaking to the media after Kansas City’s Week 1 victory, Justin Reid reacted to getting the opportunity to kick in a regular season game.
“We may need to talk about putting some incentives in there, but really I had a ton of fun out there,” Reid said. “It threw me back to my high school days just being out there and having fun.”
When asked if he could have made the 54-yard field goal that Butker made after he was injured, Reid took the time to give credit to his teammate.
“Yes I did, I knew that, but shoot I tell you what as impressive as I like to say a safety kicking is, how about (Butker) taking one step to kick a 54-yard field goal,” Reid said. “That was unbelievable. I know a thing about kicking but that was absolutely unbelievable for him to be able to step up through that and grind through the pain and take one step to drive it home, but I would’ve made it too. Honestly, they made the right decision sending Butker out there.”
Reid Happy With KC’s Defense vs. Cardinals
Along with his kicking, Reid also discussed Kansas City’s defensive performance against Arizona.
“I think that we had a great game plan put in place, put together by (Steve Spagnuolo) to really corral (Kyler Murray),” Reid explained. “Don’t let him get any balls behind us. Don’t let him run around the field all day. The defensive line really did a great job keeping him contained. The secondary made sure the big ball was really taken away and we just executed.
“There’s always room to get better. There are a couple of plays out there, or some mistakes that need to be ironed out and we have to look at ourselves and hold ourselves accountable and continue to get better and not just be comfortable with what we’ve done. We have to be ready to move forward and continue to excel because we have another one coming at us very quickly.”
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Chiefs Sign Winner of ‘Six-Man Kicker Derby’: Report