Ben Sauls might’ve lost the New York Giants’ kicking job to undrafted rookie sensation Dominic Zvada, but that doesn’t mean his NFL story ends here. In fact, his next chapter feels more obvious than ever.
The Baltimore Ravens suddenly have a kicking problem on their hands, and if left untreated, it could eventually turn every field goal attempt into a city-wide exercise in breath-holding and remote-throwing restraint. Or maybe that’s just the Giants kicking PTSD talking. But I digress.
Second-year kicker Tyler Loop is coming off a miserable preseason.
Baltimore apparently became concerned enough to bring former San Francisco 49ers, turned Chicago Bears, turned Washington Commanders kicker Jake Moody onto the practice squad on Monday. If only there were another option available who made all of his kicks last season and spent this summer proving he deserves a job. Oh, wait.
Former Giant Ben Sauls could be the answer to Ravens’ kicking uncertainty
Loop will always hold a special place in Ravens trivia as the first-ever kicker they drafted. Baltimore used a sixth-round pick on him in 2025, and his rookie season couldn't have ended worse if he tried. He missed a 44-yard game-winner against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 18 with a playoff berth on the line -- win, and they're in. Miss, and John Harbaugh gets fired after 18 seasons.
That miss left a sour taste in everyone's mouth, and his second offseason hasn’t exactly calmed anyone's nerves.
Loop went 5-of-8 during the preseason, missing from 49, 51, and 58 yards, even drawing boos from the home crowd at M&T Bank Stadium. New head coach Jesse Minter has publicly maintained that he has “a lot of confidence” in his kicker and expects him to handle the job in Week 1. Yet, Baltimore still went out and signed Moody anyway.
I’m no detective, but teams overflowing with confidence in their kicker generally don’t bring another one into the building two weeks before the season.
Moody isn’t exactly Mr. Automatic himself. His inconsistency eventually ended his run in Washington, which makes Baltimore’s current setup feel like two question marks trying to solve the same problem.
Enter Better Call Sauls.
The 25-year-old made all 15 of his kicks last year (eight field goals and seven extra points) after the Giants’ kicking situation descended into a five-kicker nightmare. He followed that up with a strong offseason worthy of the job before Zvada-matic crashed the party and stole it.
Harbs has publicly stated that Sauls had “also won a job” and should be kicking somewhere in the NFL.
There's one complication. New York waived Sauls with an undisclosed injury designation, so he obviously has to work through that before another team gives him an opportunity. Once it does and he passes his physical, Baltimore should be near the top of the list.
If Baltimore is already looking over Loop’s shoulder, it might as well look in Sauls’ direction. Once he’s healthy, the fit almost makes too much sense.
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