Quote:Will Jake Elliott overcome his early mistakes to win this battle with Randy Bullock?

With three preseason games left, it’s now a toss-up as to who the Cincinnati Bengals’ kicker will be.

This seemed like a decision made months ago when Cincinnati spent a fifth-round pick on Memphis kicker Jake Elliott, making him the first kicker drafted this year. The Bengals are also very keen on keeping their draft picks as rookies, giving them ample time to showcase their full potential.

That’s why it seemed like a done deal that Elliott would be the Bengals’ kicker come Week 1 of the regular season. However, the Bengals also re-signed veteran Randy Bullock earlier in the offseason, which ultimately gave them insurance in case Elliott turned into a disaster.

In the process, Bullock has made just about every kick in camp and looked like the superior kicker. That continued Wednesday as Bullock was perfect on all of his attempts, while Elliott was a disaster:

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Jay Morrison ✔ @JayMorrisonCMG
Rough day for rookie kicker Jake Elliott. Misses from 45 and 53 and two from 54. Only made the 50. Bullock 4 for 4. #Bengals
3:42 PM - Aug 16, 2017 · Cincinnati, OH
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Paul Dehner Jr. ✔ @pauldehnerjr
We will see what happens in final 3 games, far from over, but no doubt Randy Bullock has been better than Jake Elliott thus far.
3:56 PM - Aug 16, 2017
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Elliott will not be able to have many more misses, especially on PATs, if he’s to give the Bengals’ coaching staff enough confidence to keep him on the final roster. We saw this team lose far too many close games in 2016 that could have been wins had the kicking situation been better. That can’t be allowed to happen again in 2017, which could mean Bullock winning the job over Elliott if this keeps up.

To his credit, Elliott did make a 45-yard field goal and convert his lone PAT in the Bengals’ preseason win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, that was overshadowed by Bullock converting his PAT and a pair of ~50-yard field goals, including a 54-yarder.

This has now become a highly-contested battle that could be decided in the next three preseason games, beginning Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs. Elliott still has plenty of time to get a leg up in this race, but there’s no question Bullock is very much a threat to win it as well.

(08-18-2017, 12:36 AM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: Bullock cut: $0 dead cap space, 0 wasted draft picks
Elliott cut: $277k dead cap space, 1 wasted 5th round pick

I really think it'll come down to Mike Brown math on who makes it, not who's better.

(08-18-2017, 01:06 AM)TSwigZ Wrote: If this continues and bullock gets cut then that tells you a lot about how we handle things and it's not about winning then

(08-18-2017, 09:15 AM)Luvnit2 Wrote: Bullock missed a kick and cost us a game in 2016. That is also a part of the evaluation process (think of Nugent and his killing us) as is youth.

(08-18-2017, 11:01 AM)BoBengal Wrote: I watched the Tampa-Jacksonville game last night while getting some work done -- the kickers in that game were terrible.

It might be wise to trade Elliot, "our 5th round draft pick" to one of these two teams for another need on our own roster.

Who would you guys want from Jacksonville or Tampa Bay, that we could realistically get, for a 5th round kicker? (Probably wise to call it a 5th round kicker instead of a "rookie that's struggling at practices, scrimmages, and shanked a kickoff in the only game)

(08-18-2017, 12:22 PM)guyofthetiger Wrote: I agree. Trade Elliot and let Bullock do the kicking. Is Doug Martin or Mike Evans available? lol

(08-18-2017, 11:01 AM)BoBengal Wrote: I watched the Tampa-Jacksonville game last night while getting some work done -- the kickers in that game were terrible.

It might be wise to trade Elliot, "our 5th round draft pick" to one of these two teams for another need on our own roster.

Who would you guys want from Jacksonville or Tampa Bay, that we could realistically get, for a 5th round kicker? (Probably wise to call it a 5th round kicker instead of a "rookie that's struggling at practices, scrimmages, and shanked a kickoff in the only game)

(08-18-2017, 08:21 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: There is also the fact that Bullock has a one year deal, I believe, and if he has a good season he would command significant dollars.  

Elliott has not missed a FG or a PAT in a game yet, and he has been kicking the ball off deep in the end zone with hang time.  All this practice drama won't mean squat if Elliott has the better %s in the games.  

God helps those who help themselves.