Falcons Release Kicker Nick Folk, Sign Jake Moody Off Ravens' Practice Squad
Atlanta moves on from the 42-year-old after five missed field goals in nine games and hands the job to Moody before Sunday's game against the Chiefs
The Falcons are changing kickers. Atlanta is releasing Nick Folk and signing Jake Moody off the Ravens' practice squad, ESPN's Marc Raimondi and Jamison Hensley reported Tuesday.
Folk's first season in Atlanta never got on track. The 42-year-old is 13 of 18 on field goals, including just 1 of 4 from 50 yards or longer, and has missed an extra point. The low point came in Sunday's 34-17 loss to the Bengals in Madrid, when he pushed a 38-yard try wide left in the fourth quarter. That miss snapped an NFL-record streak of 107 straight made field goals from inside 40 yards dating to 2017.
It's a sharp fall for one of the league's most accurate kickers. Folk missed only three field goals combined over the previous three seasons with the Jets and Titans, and the Falcons signed him to a two-year, $9 million deal in the offseason with $4 million guaranteed. Kevin Stefanski said after the loss that he expected Folk to make his kicks and that the team was counting on him. Two days later, the Falcons moved on.
Moody, a 2023 third-round pick of the 49ers, gets another shot at a full-time job. He was on his second stint on Baltimore's practice squad and stepped in for the injured Tyler Loop last Thursday against the Jaguars, hitting a 53-yard field goal in a downpour. According to ESPN, the chance to kick mostly indoors at Mercedes-Benz Stadium appealed to him.
The move leaves Baltimore looking for its third kicker of the season, with Loop on injured reserve and expected to miss at least three more games.
Moody's first game for the Falcons (3-6) comes Sunday, Nov. 15, when they host the Chiefs at 1 p.m. ET.