Do the Atlanta Falcons need a contingency plan at Kicker?
By Randy Gurzi
42-year old place kicker Matt Bryant is injured again, which begs the question of whether or not the Atlanta Falcons need a contingency plan at his position
For the second time this season, Atlanta Falcons kicker Matt Bryant gave us all a scare. Despite being 42-years old, Bryant is still one of the best kickers in the game — which makes him a remarkable weapon for the Dirty Birds. However, he nearly missed a game earlier this season with back issues and then had a leg injury this past Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.
According to Matt Winkeljohn of the Atlanta-Journal Constitutional, Bryant was favoring his right calf during their Week 9 game. The good news is, he sustained the injury during warmups per Winkeljohn’s report, but still nailed a 53-yard field goal. That’s just what Money Matt does.
The worry though is that Bryant may start to see more of these types of injuries given his age and the fact that it’s now happened twice in one year. Even Bryant himself can’t guarantee that he will be ready to go for an important contest against a rival for a wild card spot in Week 10 as they face the Dallas Cowboys.
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"“On the day off tomorrow I’ll get some treatment and just keep getting treatment. From what I’ve been told, yes, there’s a chance.” – Bryant said via Matt Winkeljohn of the Atlanta-Journal Constitutional"
Sitting at 4-4, Atlanta can’t spare to leave any points on the board which brings up what their contingency plan is. Mike Meyer was a member of the team during the preseason and even was brought back to the practice squad in early October as Byrant dealt with a back injury.
Meyer wasn’t needed then, and subsequently received his walking papers on October 17. However, with Bryant again dealing with issues he should be looked at again by the team as a potential practice squad addition.
Adding him to the practice unit allows him to get a few reps in with the special teams unit should Bryant be a last minute scratch due to health. Otherwise, the Falcons would be relying on his familiarity from nearly a month ago with a critical game coming up.
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The 25-year old from Iowa was 3-of-4 in the 2017 preseason for Atlanta with a long of 53. He would be a step down from Bryant, but then again most kickers would be.