Doug Marrone Addresses Jaguars' 'Unprecedented' Kicker Situation

The Jaguars have rostered five kickers in the last three weeks -- where does the team go from here and how can they overcome the challenge that has become the kicker position?

Doug Marrone has been around the game of football for a long time, but the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach hasn't quite seen anything like his team's current kicker situation. 

Over the course of this season, the Jaguars have rostered five different kickers, with most joining the team post-week 2. Of those five, four have dealt with injuries. It has come to the point where Marrone and the Jaguars are about to have their fourth different starting kicker in four weeks when Sunday's game against the Houston Texans rolls around.

"I think what we’ve seen in these past couple weeks is unprecedented. I’ve never seen that before," Marrone said in a media conference Friday. 

"It’s almost like, every day you’re wondering who’s going to be out there."

The kicker issues began following a Week 2 loss to the Tennessee Titans. Before then, the Jaguars had maybe the best kicker situation in the league. Now, they have the flimsiest. 

While the Jaguars had to prepare on a short week to face the Miami Dolphins on Thursday Night Football in Week 3, veteran kicker Josh Lambo was placed on injured reserve with a hip injury. Considering Lambo has made 94.9% of his field goals since joining the Jaguars in 2017, it was clear the injury would be significant. 

The Jaguars opted to immediately replace Lambo with rookie kicker Brandon Wright, who was on the team's practice squad. Wright would miss an extra point in his debut in Week 3 however, suffering a groin injury in the process that resulted in him being waived.

With Wright no longer a viable option, the Jaguars signed two free agents in Stephen Hauschka and Aldrick Rosas. Hauschka was signed to start but a knee injury held him out of Week 4, leading to Rosas making 4-of-5 field goals in the Jaguars' loss to the Bengals. 

But yesterday, the Jaguars announced Rosas would be going to the practice squad injured list. In his place as the team's backup kicker, the Jaguars signed journeyman backup kicker Jon Brown. 

Did you catch all that? It is hard for those on the outside to keep up with Jacksonville's turmoil at the kicker position, let alone for those on the inside who have to track the performances of each player.

"So, you’ve kind of got to go week-by-week to what you see. Whereas a guy like [Josh] Lambo—not that he’s ever really done it, but let’s say if he missed a couple, I’m like, he’ll be fine, he’ll get back on it," Marrone said. 

"And Lambo, once you get a feel for him, there’s a lot of communication between the kicker and the head coach about how he feels and of what’s going on. So, Lambo and I have always had that communication. Whereas now, it’s kind of trying to get to learn the different guys and seeing where they are and trying to get a read on how they’re feeling or what they’re doing. I think those are the things that go on."

But while the uncertainty and stress about the kicker position is certainly there for the Jaguars, Marrone knows his team can't dwell on it too much. After all, there are over 50 other players who will suit up on Sunday in Houston

"But at the same point, what I try to do is I try to put that as a very small part of a really, really large thing of what we’re doing from a team standpoint," Marrone said. 

"So, I don’t let it overcome me with anxiety that it starts to affect what my thought process on offense and defense and all the rest of the things have to get done for a game.”


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John Shipley
JOHN SHIPLEY

John Shipley has been covering the Jacksonville Jaguars as a beat reporter and publisher of Jaguar Report since 2019. Previously, he covered UCF's undefeated season as a beat reporter for NSM.Today, covered high school prep sports in Central Florida, and covered local sports and news for the Palatka Daily News. Follow John Shipley on Twitter at @_john_shipley.