Vikings Bring in Veteran Kicker Chandler Catanzaro for Tryout

The Vikings could give Catanzaro a shot to replace Dan Bailey this week.

The Vikings have brought in veteran NFL kicker Chandler Catanzaro for a tryout, according to the league's transaction wire.

So far, the names swirling as potential replacements for Dan Bailey hadn't been particularly inspiring. Neither former practice squad Tristan Vizcaino, who was released on Tuesday, nor Taylor Bertolet, who the Vikings gave a tryout on Monday, have ever kicked in an NFL game. Neither had great college kicking stats, either.

Catanzaro is a much more feasible option as a replacement. He was a star at Clemson and then spent most of five seasons (2014-18) as a starting kicker in the NFL. Catanzaro spent his first three years with the Cardinals, making 60 of 78 field goal attempts (85 percent) and 93 percent of his extra points.

Catanzaro then kicked for the Jets in 2017, making 25 of 30 attempts. In 2018, he went 16 for 20 between stops in Carolina and Tampa Bay. He has been with the Jets and Giants over the past couple seasons, but hasn't kicked in an NFL game since 2018.

If the Vikings do sign Catanzaro to their practice squad, it's possible they could elevate him to the active roster for Sunday's game and give him a trial run to potentially replace Bailey. He has the NFL experience to suggest he wouldn't be fazed by the pressure of the moment. 

For his NFL career, Catanzaro is 119 for 142 on field goal attempts (83.8 percent). That's lower than Bailey's career 86 percent success rate, but Bailey is just 12 for 18 this season and has missed seven of his last nine kicks, including extra points.

On Monday, Mike Zimmer said he hadn't yet decided who his kicker would be against Chicago.

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