The Tennessee Titans are locking down the kicker position ahead of the 2023 season. After making a trade for Nick Folk from the New England Patriots, they are bringing in another kicker in Cade York, who has had an interesting journey after being drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
York is joining the Titans' practice squad, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The 22-year-old went 24 for 32 (75 percent accuracy) on field goals last season, including a 58-yard, game-winning field goal in Week 1. After a rough 2023 preseason, the Browns traded for Dustin Hopkins and released York.
The Titans are wise to ensure their kicking game is right. Last year, they had the fewest made field goals in the league with 20, though the team's overall efficiency was only slightly below the league average. They released Randy Bullock, who went 17 for 20 (85 percent) last season, in February.
With the Titans' offense projected to be one of the worst in the league despite the addition of DeAndre Hopkins, making sure they can take advantage of any long drive they get will be important. York probably won’t factor into the season that much but Tennessee is making sure it has a backup plan for the 38-year-old Folk.
As the Titans look to corner the market on kickers whose first and last names each have four letters and whose last names end with the letter K, they will hope that they can bounce back from a losing season and compete for the AFC South title.
