If the New York Giants' kicking woes have had your stomach in knots the past few seasons, you're not alone. From injuries to the subsequent handling of said injuries, to using punters as placekickers and everything else under the sun, seemingly nothing has worked for Big Blue.
That changed when they signed Ben Sauls in November, elevating him from the practice squad to the 53-man roster in December. This was after they had already cycled through Graham Gano, Jude McAtamney, Jamie Gillan, and Younghoe Koo. The 24-year-old Sauls made all 15 of his kicks last year (eight field goals and seven extra points), and it felt like he had the inside track on becoming the next long-term kicker in North Jersey.
But the NFL is a "blink and you missed it" kind of league that waits for no one. As soon as John Harbaugh became the 21st head coach earlier in the offseason, the entire special teams unit was going to be overhauled, regardless of what anyone had done in the past.
The league is also a "what have you done for me lately" place. The day after the G-Men released veteran kicker Jason Sanders (signed earlier in the offseason), Sauls had one of the worst days he could have had at OTAs, missing six kicks, while undrafted free agent Dominic Zvada balled out. That’s about the worst thing that could’ve happened for the 2025 feel-good story.
Dominic Zvada just made the Giants’ kicker situation a lot more interesting
Sauls struggled mightily on Wednesday. He finished the day going 4-of-10 from 33-47 yards, finishing 6-of-12 altogether. And while that shouldn't necessarily scream "problem" in early June, the context matters.
The 2025 UDFA out of Pitt might have made all his tries last year, but he was never truly challenged. He attempted just one field goal from 40-plus, and wasn't asked to make kicks in high-stress, game-on-the-line situations. It'd be one thing if he were missing 50- and 55-plus yarders wide left or just short, but 33-47 should be right in his breadbasket.
Meanwhile, the 22-year-old Zvada was putting on a clinic, making all 13 of his attempts on the day. The Giants had just cut Sanders, a first-team All-Pro, on Tuesday, leaving the door wide open for "Better Call Sauls" to take advantage.
But the only one who took advantage was Zvada.
Harbaugh's not going to make a decision on who will be suiting up come Week 1 based on one day at OTAs, but it's not a promising start for Sauls. If this continues, he could see the perfect opportunity to establish himself as Big Blue's next great leg fall apart before it ever truly began.
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