Since joining the Baltimore Ravens in 2012, Justin Tucker has been arguably the team’s both consistent player.
Yes, Joe Flacco has helped lead the Ravens to a Super Bowl title and six playoff berths in his seven years under center. In Flacco’s fourth season, the team signed Tucker and got an immediate upgrade at the kicker position.
The University of Texas kicker went undrafted in the 2012 NFL Draft and the Ravens have been reaping the rewards of signing him ever since. Tucker was brought into the 2012 Ravens’ training camp to compete directly against Billy Cundiff. He impressed during the preseason mainly due to his accuracy and was officially named the Ravens’ placekicker on August 26, 2012.
Dec 16, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker (9) celebrates after kicking a field goal during the third quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
In his rookie season, Tucker went 42-of-42 for extra points and hit 30 of his 33 field goal attempts. His 90.9 percent in terms of field goal accuracy ranked him sixth among all kickers. Another aspect that send him apart from other kickers was his accuracy from 50-yard or longer field goal attempts by going a perfect 4-of-4; The 2012 season’s best kick came from 56 yards.
While many NFL and other professional athletes experience a sophomore slump, Tucker excelled during his second NFL season by nailing his career-high kick of 61 yards. The kick came against the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football during Week 15 in the team’s 18-16 win. In fact, Tucker scored all the team’s points by nailing six field goals that ranked from 24 yards to the aforementioned 61-yard kick.
For the entire season, Tucker went 38-of-41 (92.7 percent) with 28 of those field goals coming from 30 yards or longer. While the Ravens missed out on the playoffs in 2013, Tucker was named to the Pro Bowl and the team’s MVP. His efforts earned him tied for the sixth-highest accuracy among all the league’s kickers in 2013.
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As the team returned to the playoffs in 2014, it was partly due to Tucker’s consistency. Overall he was 29-of-34 (85.3 percent) and was a perfect 10-of-10 from 20-29 yards, 11-of-11 from 30-39 yards, and 4-of-4 from 40-49 yards – with all five of his misses from 50-plus yards.
It was an off year for Tucker, but that shouldn’t deter the Ravens from extending their contract. On his career Tucker has hit almost 90 percent of the field goals he has taken. Basically, he hits 9 out of every 10 field goals and that should be good enough for the Ravens to re-sign him long-term. His contract ends at the end of the 2015 NFL season and the team would be foolish not to re-sign him during the season. The worst case scenario would be using the franchise tag on him and sign him to a one-year deal before agreeing to an extension.
Due to Tucker’s accuracy, he will probably want top-dollar for an NFL kicker and I can’t blame him. He does deserve a raise and staying in Baltimore would mean remaining with one of the better organizations in the league.
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