Chargers make kicker change, sign Hopkins
Former Washington Football Team kicker Dustin Hopkins was signed by the Chargers on Tuesday, replacing the struggling Tristan Vizcaino.
Chargers coach Brandon Staley often mentioned Tristan Vizcaino’s high potential as a kicker because of his strong leg. But as the missed extra points stacked, Staley and the Chargers had to keep their options open.
When an experienced kicker became available, that option was more enticing than waiting for Vizcaino to overcome his growing pains and reach his potential.
The Chargers announced the signing of kicker Dustin Hopkins and waived Vizcaino on Tuesday.
Hopkins, 31, was released by the Washington Football Team last week and left as the organization’s all-time leader in field-goal percentage (84.0%) and made field goals of 50-plus yards (13). Hopkins was drafted in the sixth round by the Buffalo Bills in 2013 but didn’t kick in his first NFL game until he joined Washington in 2015.
The Chargers kept their options open at kicker because Vizcaino had a league-high five missed extra-point attempts. Vizcaino missed two extra points against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3 and twice versus the Cleveland Browns in Week 5.
Hopkins has never missed more than three extra-point attempts in a season and has a career percentage of 94.2% (179 of 190). He’s made 163 career field goals out of 194 attempts.
“Something that I still believe in my heart is that this guy has real talent,” Staley said about Vizcaino on Monday. “And we’re just going to see where it goes. I think we’ve identified some factors that can help his game. At the same time, we’re going to make sure that we keep all of our options open at that position.”
Vizcaino, a Damien High graduate, won the Chargers’ kicker job over Michael Badgley in training camp. Finding a player to hold the kicker job has been a struggle for the Chargers for many years.
NFL HAPPY WITH COVID-19 PREVENTION >> The NFL is encouraged by the progress made in preventing any major spreads of COVID-19 among the 32 teams, while concerned about an increase in soft tissue injuries.
Dr. Allen Sills, the league’s chief medical officer, noted Tuesday at the first in-person owners meetings since December 2019 that a low positive COVID-19 rate between .04% and .06% is due greatly to vaccinations and protocols working. Nearly 100,000 COVID-19 tests have been taken, 1,200 a day on average across the league.
So far, 94.1% of players are vaccinated, as well as 100% of team and league staff.
“We’re continuing to work with the players association on the goal of 100% vaccination,” Sills said. “The CDC has been in contact with us about how that is achieved, a vaccination success story, and is pointing to the NFL as a model for other parts of society.”
Sills mentioned a recent minioutbreak with the Arizona Cardinals that included coach Kliff Kingsbury.
“Of the first seven cases in Arizona, five were different strains of the virus,” he said, which indicated those people were exposed outside the team facility. “Definitely the impact of vaccinations, we’re not seeing the clustering or uncontrolled spread of the virus. Nor are we seeing the uncontained, unexplainable, uncontrolled spread we saw last year.”
The league is undertaking a voluntary study of antibody levels to measure and compare who was vaccinated when and which medication, and whether the person had COVID-19. Sills called it a “unique study because of size and the frequent testing.” Players can participate but are not the focus, club employees are.
In the meantime, Bills co-owner Terry Pegula was required to leave the meeting for precautionary reasons after being deemed to have had close contact to a person who tested positive for COVID-19 at his daughter’s wedding over the weekend.
As for the soft tissue injuries (hamstring, groin, calf, et al), the numbers are up to a five-year high even though the overall amount of preseason injuries went down. Of course, there were only three preseason games for 30 of the teams during the summer.
Sills cited the amount of work required of players in a short timeframe, and expressed a need for significant load management to combat the problem.
“There’s a lot to unpack there and we will have more to say about this, I think, as we approach the combine (in late winter),” he said. “This year (such injuries) were particularly noteworthy.”
COMBINE STAYS IN INDY >> The 2022 combine will be in Indianapolis, but the 2023 event will be put up for bidding, with Dallas, Los Angeles and Indianapolis interested.
PACKERS LOSE ANOTHER RECEIVER >> Green Bay’s decimated receiving group has taken one more hit as the Packers prepare to face the unbeaten Arizona Cardinals.
Allen Lazard joined 2020 AllPro wideout Davante Adams on the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday.
That means neither receiver is likely to play Thursday at Arizona (7-0).
Lazard’s potential absence would make it even tougher for the Packers to maintain their uncanny level of success in games Adams has missed.
Adams has sat out six games since 2019 because of injury. The Packers have won them all.
“We’re not a better team without him, that’s for sure,” Rodgers said. “I’d have to look at each of those games, but we’ve just found a way to win those games.”
Rodgers said he had spoken with Adams since the news broke Monday.
“He seems to be health-wise doing OK,” Rodgers said. “Obviously, he’s disappointed.”
None of the other games the Packers won without Adams were quite as challenging as this one.
GIANTS LOSE PEPPERS FOR SEASON >> The New York Giants placed safety Jabrill Peppers on injured reserve with a rupture to the ACL and a high ankle sprain, both on his right leg.
Peppers was hurt in the third quarter on a punt return in the Giants’ 25-3 victory over the Carolina Panthers. He is the third of the Giants’ team captains to suffer a season-ending injury, joining center-guard Nick Gates (broken leg) and linebacker Blake Martinez (ACL).
Peppers is a five-year veteran who is in his third season with the Giants. He had 30 tackles (19 solo), including a 3-yard sack of Sam Darnold on Sunday, two tackles for loss, four quarterback hits and one pass defensed.
A 2017 first-round draft choice by the Cleveland Browns, Peppers was acquired in a trade, along with first and third-round draft choices, for Odell Beckham, Jr. on March 13, 2019.
PAIR OF COWBOYS DEFENSIVE PLAYERS GO ON IR >> The Cowboys placed defensive lineman Brent Urban and cornerback Maurice Canady on injured reserve, sidelining both for at least three games.
Urban has a triceps injury, and Canady sustained a concussion in Dallas’ last game, a 35-29 overtime victory against New England on Oct. 17.
FORMER LIONS PRO BOWL LB LUCCI DIES >> Mike Lucci, a Pro Bowl linebacker who played nine seasons with the Detroit Lions, died Tuesday at age 81.
Lucci died after an extended illness, according to an obituary posted by Glick Family Funeral Home in Boca Raton, Florida.
Lucci was drafted by Cleveland, but spent most of his 12-year career with the Lions, from 1965-73.
After his NFL career, Lucci was a radio and TV broadcaster and businessman. He was president of Bally’s Total Fitness and coowned 19 Burger Kings.