Rookie Dominic Zvada will be the New York Giants’ kicker in Week 1.
Head coach John Harbaugh made the call after Friday night’s 23-6 preseason win over the Jets at MetLife Stadium, ending a training-camp battle with Ben Sauls.
“He’ll win the job; he’ll be the kicker,” Harbaugh told reporters.
Zvada, an undrafted free agent who spent his final two college seasons at Michigan, finished the exhibition finale 3-for-3 on field goals, hitting from 23, 53 and 46 yards and converting both extra points. The night capped a summer in which the rookie steadily pulled ahead of Sauls, who closed last season with the Giants and went 8-for-8 on field goals and 7-for-7 on extra points after joining the club.
The two were still trading long-range makes as recently
as Wednesday, when both connected from 60-plus yards. Harbaugh called that session “pretty fun,” adding that the longest miss was from 69.
The decision gives New York a defined answer at a position that has been unsettled the past two seasons. Zvada will work with new punter and holder Jordan Stout and rookie long snapper Ben Mann when the Giants open the regular season against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 13.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants' John Harbaugh: Dominic Zvada has won the kicking battle
