Kicker A Major Strength For Ravens

Baltimore places a lot of emphasis on their special teams and it stems from head coach John Harbaugh. He was a long-time special teams coach in college and the NFL. Let’s examine the specialist position group for the Ravens.

Justin Tucker: Best Kicker in the NFL

The Baltimore Ravens got extremely lucky when they signed kicker Justin Tucker as an undrafted free agent in 2012. Since then, he’s become the most accurate kicker in NFL history, with a 90.75% success rate across his eight years in the league.

He was a First-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowler in 2019, his fourth and third accolades respectively. Tucker nailed game-winning kicks both against the Pittsburgh Steelers in week five and in a massive home win against the San Francisco 49ers in week 13.

He signed a four-year, $23.05 million extension last year, keeping him in Baltimore until 2023. Tucker is the highest-paid kicker in the NFL, but he’s entirely deserving of this. He’s been a star in Baltimore and has come up big in a lot of games for the franchise.

Sam Koch: The Veteran Punter

Sam Koch has been a long-standing member of the Baltimore Ravens. The 37-year old has been with the franchise since they drafted him in 2006. The one-time former Pro Bowler had a quiet 2019 season, as the team’s offensive success often kept him on the sidelines. His 40 punts are less than Lamar Jackson’s total touchdown number, and 20 below his previous low.

His play remained at a high level, with 52.5% of his punts landing in the opponent’s 20-yard line the second-highest total in the NFL. Koch’s ability to consistently pin opponents deep in their own half gives the defense a great chance to get them off the field quickly. Koch is being paid like a middle-of the road punter but remains one of the best in the league.

Morgan Cox: The Unheralded Glue In The Kicker Game

Morgan Cox is another long-time Raven, having signed with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2010. Cox made his third Pro Bowl in 2019, and at 34 years old, he still has plenty in the tank.

Long snapper is a very underappreciated position in the NFL, but this is a key cog in the Ravens’ kicking success. This is especially important, as the NFL has worked in recent years to make kicking much harder. Whilst many other franchises struggle with their kicking game, Cox is vital to Baltimore’s success with the position.

The Backup Specialists Trying to Make the Team

The Ravens signed long snapper Nick Moore in March of this year. Moore went undrafted in 2019 before playing in the XFL for the Tampa Bay Vipers this year. He brings youth to the position but is a long-shot to make the team. Morgan Cox is long-established and Baltimore will only keep one long snapper on the roster.

Nick Vogel is a kicker that was signed as part of the Ravens undrafted free agent class of 2020. Vogel went 19/23 on field goals in 2019, with his 82.5% accuracy good enough for joint 33rd in college football. Again, Vogel is very unlikely to make the roster. Baltimore will only keep one kicker and Tucker is entrenched in that position. The best hope for him and the Ravens is that he can impress enough to be traded before the start of the season.

Baltimore signed punter Dom Maggio as an undrafted free agent this year. He impressed in 2019 with an average of 46.8 yards per punt, seventh-best in college football. Maggio needs a perfect training camp to make the final season roster. If he does impress he could potentially take over from Sam Koch. Releasing Koch would save Baltimore $1 million, with a $3.15 million dead cap hit.

That examines the final position group on the Ravens roster, the specialists. Let us know your thoughts on the position group down below. For the latest sports news check out the site page here and the NFL page here.

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