CL Take · Opinion · Original
Chiefs Sign Justin Tucker to the Practice Squad, and Harrison Butker Is Officially on Notice
Chiefs Kingdom, nobody saw this one coming a month ago. Kansas City has a kicker problem, and Andy Reid just made a move that puts Harrison Butker officially on notice.
Our Take: This is a pressure move as much as an insurance move, and it's an uncomfortable one. Plenty of fans aren't happy about who the Chiefs brought in, and Butker now has to prove on Sunday that the job is still his.
According to ESPN, the Chiefs signed five-time All-Pro kicker Justin Tucker to their practice squad on Wednesday. Tucker hasn't played in the NFL since 2024 and served a 10-game suspension last season for violating the league's personal conduct policy, after he was accused of sexual misconduct by 16 massage therapists in a Baltimore Banner report. Reid told reporters Tucker had served his suspension and that the team did its homework, but he declined to describe the vetting.
The football reason is plain. KMBC reports Butker has missed five of 16 field goal attempts this season, including two misses in the 20-3 loss to Seattle. Reid said Butker's technique is off a bit, that Butker will get most of the reps this week, and that he'll likely still be the starter Sunday. "It's fluid," Reid said, per ESPN.
What to watch: Butker's first kick of the weekend. One clean day calms everything down. Another miss, and the practice squad move starts to look like a real kicking competition.