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The New York Jets came to an early conclusion on their starting kicker battle this week when they decided to release Eddy Pineiro during the second round of roster cuts. Another sign of how far the franchise has come.
A year ago, head coach Robert Saleh was deciding between Sam Ficken and Matt Ammendola. The nod went to the strong-legged youngster with more upside, Ammendola — but in the end, he only lasted a total of 11 games in New York.
Accuracy was the issue for the 25-year-old whose eventual replacement was Pineiro — with an Alex Kessman mess in between — a much more reliable short-range kicker. Finally, veteran Greg Zuerlein came in to win the job this summer, pushing both Ammendola and his successor out of town.
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Ammendola Gets Interim Gig
This morning on August 25, Pro Football Network insider Aaron Wilson reported that the “[Houston] Texans have signed kicker Matt Ammendola with [fellow] kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn dealing with [a] short-term injury.”
This feels more like an interim gig for Ammendola but perhaps he can turn it into a practice squad role or a starting job somewhere else.
It was clear he had talent with the Jets but he became a polarizing prospect because of his consistency issues. Despite his impressive leg strength, his longest make with Gang Green was from 49 yards, for example. Kicking from afar means a lot less if you don’t keep the ball straight.
Ammendola ended up making 13 of 19 field goals as a Jet (68.4%), and 14 of 15 extra points. He had some dual-ability as a punter with six punts for an average of 48.5 yards.
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Insider Names ‘Best Fit’ for Pineiro
Speaking of ex-Jets kickers, Pineiro is now on the market and the expectation is that he could find some work quickly with a few open landing spots around the league.
Heavy’s own NFL insider Matt Lombardo named the Jacksonville Jaguars as the “best fit” for the recent NYJ cut. The Jags just released their expected starting kicker Ryan Santoso and have yet to make a strong effort to fill the void. Lombardo reasoned:
Short of signing former head coach Urban Meyer as kicker — we hear he has a penchant for kicking, and for kickers — Pineiro may be the Jaguars’ best option. Jacksonville did claim James McCourt off waivers from the Los Angeles Chargers, but McCourt is a rookie and has never kicked in an NFL game. If nothing else, Pineiro could push the University of Illinois alum, in a bit of a redux of a dreadful summer kicker competition.
Pineiro went 8-for-8 on field goal tries for the Jets in 2021. His lone miss during a regular season game came on an extra point. Even throughout training camp, the 26-year-old hung tight with Zuerlein aside from one poor practice.
He’s definitely earned an NFL look somewhere and if the Jaguars don’t make the call, someone else probably will sooner rather than later. P.S. Pineiro is a Florida native and was a former Gator in college, so this one makes plenty of sense.
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