Titans Activate Kicker Ryan Succop

Franchise's leader in career field goal percentage fully recovered from offseason knee surgery

Jim Brown/USA Today Sports

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Titans are on to their third kicker of the season. This one is their first choice.

Ryan Succop was activated from injured reserve Saturday and is set to make his 2019 debut Sunday against the Carolina Panthers. The 11-year veteran missed the first eight weeks after it was determined that he needed additional time to recover from offseason knee surgery.

Cody Parkey was released to make room on the active roster. Parkey signed with Tennessee on Oct. 8, made all three field goal attempts (all from more than 40 yards) and five of six extra-point tries in three contests.

Cairo Santos had the job for the first five weeks but was released Oct. 7, a day after he missed four field goal attempts in a 14-7 loss to Buffalo. Santos was perfect on 12 PATs but just 4-for-9 on field goal attempts.

The last time the Titans had three different players attempt field goals in the same season was 2004, and one of those was punter Craig Hentrich. Aaron Elling had the job in Week 1 of that year before franchise officials coaxed Gary Anderson out of retirement.

Not since 1977, when they were the Houston Oilers, has the franchise employed three different placekickers in the same season. That year, Toni Fritsch, Tom Dempsey and Skip Butler all had the job for at least one game.

Succop (pictured) played in the final two preseason contests and went 2-for-2 on field goals (his longest was 33 yards) and 2-for-3 on PATs. He then determined that he did not have the necessary power in his kicking leg and the decision was made to place him on IR (return designation). He began to kick at practice last week

A 10-year veteran, he has been Tennessee’s placekicker for the past five seasons, is the franchise’s all-time field goal percentage leader at 86.6 (116-for-134) and one of five in franchise history with more than 500 points (he has 502). He set an NFL record when he made 56 consecutive field goal attempts of fewer than 50 yards, a streak that covered all or parts of four seasons (2014-17), and has made nine game-winning kicks, four with the Titans.

A seventh-round pick by Kansas City in 2009, he spent his first five NFL seasons with the Chiefs. He had never missed a game before this season and his streak of 160 consecutive games played was the second-longest among active kickers at the end of last season.

Also Saturday, cornerback Josh Kalu was removed from IR and added to the active roster. Kalu returned to practice this week. Cornerback Tye Smith was waived to make room.

Tennessee (4-4) and Carolina (4-3) play Sunday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.