If the New York Giants were making roster decisions based on nicknames, there’s a strong chance Ben “Better Call Sauls” Sauls would have made the 53-man roster. Unfortunately, that’s not how the league works.
The Giants waived the 25-year-old southpaw on Sunday, bringing an end to one of the more random cult-hero runs in recent memory. The writing was on the wall after head coach John Harbaugh announced Friday night that undrafted rookie Dominic Zvada had won their offseason kicking battle.
Still, pour one out for Better Call Sauls.
Giants officially cancel Better Call Sauls despite a nearly flawless run
The Giants signed the former Pittsburgh Panther late last season after their kicking situation had devolved into a full-blown circus. Four different kickers had already come and gone before Sauls showed up and did something seemingly impossible at the time: He made his kicks. All of them.
Sauls went a perfect 8-for-8 on field goals and 7-for-7 on extra points across three games, including a season-long 45-yarder in their season finale against Dallas. Throw in the fact that he was the NFL’s first left-footed placekicker since Sebastian Janikowski, and a cult hero was born.
Sauls didn’t exactly roll over when Zvada arrived, either.
The two put on an absolute kicking clinic throughout the summer, routinely trading bombs during practice. Sauls even drilled one from 63 yards while making 67 of his 87 attempts (77%) during training camp. By all accounts, he was impressive enough to win an NFL kicking job. Unfortunately, Zvada was even better.
Then came the preseason. Sauls went 3-for-3 on field goals, connecting from 27, 37, and 46 yards, while also making his lone extra-point attempt. So what the heck else was he supposed to do?
Apparently, beat Zvada.
The Michigan Man went 81-for-90 during those same training camp periods before Harbs handed him the entire preseason finale against the Jets. Zvada responded by going 5-for-5, including attempts from 23, 46, and 53 yards, officially putting the competition to bed.
But losing the Giants’ kicking job doesn’t mean Better Call Sauls' TV run is over -- far from it. Harbs essentially said as much afterward, telling reporters that Sauls “also won a job," implying he should be kicking somewhere in the NFL this season. It’s hard to disagree.
Sauls leaves New York without missing a single field goal or extra point in an actual NFL game, regular season or preseason. His only crime was running into someone with a bigger leg who happened to be just as Zvada-matic.
Now, he’ll get the chance to find his next home. Something tells me Better Call Sauls won’t be waiting for a reboot for long.
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