Should LA Rams kick tires on Titans K Ryan Succop?

With the LA Rams shopping for a kicker in 2020, is it wise to kick the tires on just-released Titan’s kicker Ryan Succop?

The 2020 NFL Free Agency market is about to open for business. The shelves are stocked with NFL veterans, each of whom is eager to land a contract with an NFL team to assure his financial security in the years to come.  Of course, ten players from the LA Rams enter the free agency market in 2020.  An additional eight may enter – players who are either restricted free agents, exclusive restricted free agents or are subject to the team picking up their option year on their contract.

LA Rams veteran kicker Greg Zuerlein is one such unrestricted free agent, and he creates both a challenge and opportunity for the Rams this off-season. You see, his kicking accuracy in 2017 was a stellar 95.0 percent.  In 2018, that fell to a pretty good 87.1 percent. In 2019, it fell to a concerning 72.7 percent. And 2019 was his contract year.

Now the Rams have a new special teams coordinator in John Bonamego. He has a chance to put his stamp on the next Rams kicker. But will it be Zuerlein?  There are reasons to re-sign Zuerlein, but an argument can be made to go with a new leg in 2020. After all, there are other veteran kickers available.  The Tenessee Titans reportedly just released their veteran kicker Ryan Succop.

Succop kicked for the Kansas City Chiefs for five seasons before joining the Titans, where he kicked for the past six seasons. Despite the longer career, Succop’s career accuracy, 82.2 percent, tops that of Zuerlein’s at 82.0 percent. That includes a horrendous 2019, where Succop kicked just one of six field goals.

Unfortunately, Succop’s 2019 was tainted from the start, as he began the season on injured reserve with a knee injury.  He was activated on week nine, but he never seemed to be right all season. He was eventually returned to an injured reserve designation to close out the season.

He should be an inexpensive alternative at kicker. If he passes a medical examination, he has a solid track record as a very accurate NFL field-goal kicker.  While Zuerlein ranges from 66 to 95 percent, Succop’s range is a much tighter 77 to 92 percent.  That tighter range gives a team’s head coach a better sense of when to go for three-points, particularly in a closely contested game.

Because the Rams are on a tight budget in free agency, it’s important for the team to consider more economic alternatives wherever possible.  Succop could be a cheaper option for the team at kicker.