One of the best stories among Raiders roster hopefuls right now is that of Japanese kicker Kansei Matsuzawa. The man nicknamed 'The Tokyo Toe' both for his journey as a Japanese-born kicker and for his outstanding kicking at University of Hawaii last season is battling to try and land a roster spot on the Raiders this camp.
As it happens it's both his status as an international player as well as his raw potential as a kicker that gives him a very good chance of sticking around in Las Vegas.
While veteran kicker Matt Gay looks to have a leg up in the competition to be the Raiders' full time kicker this season, Kansei's odds of remaining in Silver & Black improved recently when the team released DT Laki Tasi from the roster.
You see, Tasi was the
team's International Player Pathway (IPP) exemption last year. Each team is allowed one exemption each year, both on the offseason roster and then on the team's practice squad. Tasi's release suggests the Raiders like what they see from Kansei enough to keep him around as their IPP player. Something Raiders Special Teams Coordinator Joe DeCamillis suggested was in the plans after Sunday's camp practice.
“He's in the competition, so he’s gotta do a great job there," DeCamillis said of Kansei. "But the great thing about his situation is, in the international part of it, there might be an extra spot for him, depending upon how it is. So . . . I hope he keeps showing what he's showing right now, and we get a chance to keep him at the end of camp, which would be great.”
DeCamillis and Gay worked together before with the Rams in 2021-22. Those were Gay's two best seasons as a pro and there is a lot of trust there between them. And despite the talk about a heated competition, Gay seems to have a pretty strong hold on the job. Which is understandable, at least until Kansei gets some more experience under his belt. If he is able to develop his tremendous potential, the Raiders would like that development to happen in Las Vegas.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Kansei Matsuzawa chances of sticking with Raiders just improved considerably
