Kicking is a fickle position, so you typically can guarantee when one becomes available, multiple teams are going to go after him.
Such was the case Wednesday when kicker Chase McLaughlin landed with the Indianapolis Colts after the San Francisco 49ers put him on waivers. The 23-year-old had made all eight of his extra-point attempts and seven of his eight field-goal tries over three games while filling in for the injured Robbie Gould. That came after he went 7-for-7 on PATs and 6-for-9 on field-goal attempts in four games with the Los Angeles Chargers earlier in the season.
With the Patriots still needing a kicker following the release of Kai Forbath, McLaughlin was viewed as a potential target for New England.
The Patriots reportedly were, in fact, one of the teams that put in a waiver claim in for the Illinois product.
Though the #Colts successfully claimed kicker Chase McLaughlin, the #Bills and #Patriots also put in claims, source said. Indy had priority, but this does explain why NE hadn’t signed a kicker today.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 5, 2019
Bill Belichick and the Patriots were taking their time with choosing a kicker this week, and it does seem they were waiting to try and land McLaughlin. Now, it’s back to the drawing board as they decided whether or not to bring back one of the kickers they’ve used already this season, like Nick Folk, or if they go a different route.
As for McLaughlin, it’s unclear what kind of role he’s going to play. The Colts are carrying two kickers right now with him and Adam Vinatieri, but the 46-year-old has struggled to be effective this season while questions about his health have lingered.
