When the New York Giants needed some positivity near the end of a dismal 2025 season, they decided they better call Saul — er, Sauls, as in kicker Ben Sauls.
Typically, you’ll be hard-pressed to find people interested in hearing about a rookie kicker on a bad team. Sauls was the exception, as he became the league’s first left-footed kicker since Sebastian Janikowski nearly a decade earlier.
To his credit, Sauls drilled all 15 kicks (eight field goals, seven extra points) and seemingly positioned himself to compete for the Giants’ starting kicking role in 2026.
However, the Giants signed Jason Sanders earlier this offseason, and new special teams coach Chris Horton sounds enamored with the former Dolphins kicker.
Chris Horton’s Jason Sanders praise is bad news for Ben Sauls
Speaking with reporters at OTAs on Tuesday, Horton called Sanders’ 2024 tape “outstanding” and said the veteran is ready to go. Sanders missed all of last season following a preseason hip injury.
Sanders, who often battled inconsistency in Miami, went 37-of-41 on field goals in 2024. His 90.2% accuracy rate marked his highest since 2020, when he earned first-team All-Pro honors.
Although Sanders had a career-worst 92.9% extra-point rate in 2024, we must note that he only missed two attempts.
In fairness to Sauls, it hasn’t truly felt like he and Sanders were going to compete for the starting role this summer. The Giants landed Sanders on a one-year, $1.4 million contract, and his reputation alone gives him the upper hand — or, foot, in this case.
Barring injury or a dreadful preseason, Sanders should be the Week 1 starter. Sauls shouldn’t fret if he doesn’t beat out the veteran and is either cut or reassigned to the practice squad, though.
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When one kicker goes down or needs to be replaced, teams typically call the same candidates. That’s why Sauls spent time with the Steelers and Falcons last year before joining the Giants’ practice squad in December.
Have we seen the last of Sauls? Perhaps not, but let’s just hope we get to see more left-footed kicker highlights this preseason. Kickers in general might be a dime a dozen, but not lefties.