With stud kicker Graham Gano’s status up in the air for Week 12 due to COVID-19, here are five kickers the NY Giants could look to bring in for their uber-important upcoming game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
To say that the NY Giants’ signing Graham Gano has worked out in spades would be the understatement of the century.
Gano has been the biggest bright spot on the entire NY Giants roster; the 33-year-old kicker is currently third in the entire NFL with a 95.5% conversion rate as he’s nailed 21-22 field goals while drilling all 16 of his extra points.
Gano is also in the midst of an impressive streak of 20 straight made field goals which ties him for the second-longest streak in NY Giants history.
Unfortunately, Gano has been one of many NY Giants to contract COVID-19 during the team’s Week 11 bye week which has left his availability for an all-important Week 12 contest against the Cincinnati Bengals very much in doubt.
The news broke shortly after Gano inked a very-much deserved three-year, $14M contract extension ($9M) guaranteed due to his fantastic production on the field.
Currently, the NY Giants don’t have any enticing options to step up and replace Gano on short notice in a game that could come down to a missed or made field goal, as the team elevated kicker/punter hybrid Ryan Santoso from the practice squad, giving him the first crack to take over for the week.
However, Santoso has yet to attempt a regular season field goal during his three-year NFL career, making him a risky proposition to take over in such a pivotal game.
Furthermore, Santoso only attempted 39 field goals during his college career at the University of Minnesota and he made just 29 of those for a 74% conversion rate.
Luckily for the NY Giants, there are several kickers that are available either via free agency or able to be picked up off of another team’s practice squad across the NFL.
Here are five kickers the NY Giants could acquire this week that figure to make them feel much more confident as they head into what is about as close to a must-win game as the team will have all season.