The New York Jets have signed kicker Jason Sanders, per reports, just one day after he was released by the New York Giants. It was a surprise when the Giants released Sanders in a corresponding roster move to make room for wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
We surmised that Sanders’ high trajectory kicks played into the decision to move on from him in the Giants’ kicking competition. That was seemingly supported by John Harbaugh’s comments following the Giants’ practice on Wednesday.
“It’s windy out
here, it always has been,” Harbaugh said. “It’s a tough environment to kick in and his style might not be a perfect fit for here really right now, so it gives us an opportunity to give these other guys a few more reps.”
That, of course, doesn’t seem to concern the Jets, though even an inconsistent Jason Sanders is a likely upgrade over Younghoe Koo. Now Sanders will compete with Cade York for the Jets’ kicking job.
There were some immediate calls for the Giants to re-sign Sanders after Ben Sauls struggled in his first practice as the Giants’ most experienced kicker. Sauls reportedly went 4 of 10 in an early kicking period, though he made his two kicks in the team period to finish practice. Young specialists are always a rollercoaster, but the Giants have to hope the peaks stay high and the valleys level out as Sauls and Dominic Zvada compete for the starting job.
