On a Thursday in late October, Kansas City's special teams coordinator Dave Toub stood before reporters to say what the roster had blurred: Harrison Butker still holds the kicking job, even after the Chiefs quietly added veteran Justin Tucker to the practice squad. It is a familiar human pattern, a steady craftsman whose hands have gone unreliable under pressure, and an organization deciding whether to keep faith or hedge its bets. The decision rests on a short miss, a windy practice that suggested the old form is still there, and a past that makes the newcomer's arrival hard to celebrate with
Chiefs' Toub Backs Butker as Starter Despite Tucker Practice-Squad Signing
"Butker is our kicker," Toub said, but the job isn't guaranteed
Mark
Why does a coordinator have to say out loud who the kicker is?
Mimi
Because the team signed one of the league's best-known kickers while its own starter was slumping. Toub said Butker is 11 of 16 on the year, with four misses in his last four games.
Luke
Worth noting that's a stat line, not a verdict. The source gives the numbers but not how they compare to league averages.
Mark
What did Toub offer in Butker's defense?
Mimi
A 10-for-10 practice in 28-mph gusts, with Tucker watching.
Luke
That's Toub's account. We have no independent record of that session, and practice kicks aren't game kicks.
Mark
And Tucker's tryout?
Mimi
Toub called it off the charts: everything made, including seven from beyond 50 and one from 60, with 60 percent inside a six-foot cylinder.
Luke
Again, that's the coach describing his own workout. The accuracy figure comes from Toub, not from a published measurement.
Mark
Then there's the criticism of the signing.
Mimi
Tucker served a 10-game suspension after The Baltimore Banner reported accusations from 16 massage therapists, then seven more women. He denies all of it.
Luke
Right, they're allegations he denies, and the source doesn't detail what the criticism says or who is voicing it. What's unknown is whether the Chiefs would start him, and Toub only said Butker's status could change.
Der Puls
- Butker has missed four field goals in his last four games, and a short miss against Seattle turned a tight contest into a sore spot for the whole staff.
- The Chiefs' signing of Justin Tucker landed like a tremor, reopening questions about the team's confidence in its own kicker.
- Toub is steering between reassurance and warning, citing a flawless 10-for-10 session in 28 mph gusts while leaving the starting job open to change.
- Tucker's audition, a demanding 30-kick workout with long attempts and precise placement, is being weighed against the criticism that follows his suspension.
- The next test is Sunday against Denver at 4:25 p.m. ET, and the answer to who kicks will likely be written there.
On a Thursday in late October, Kansas City's special teams coordinator Dave Toub stood before reporters to say what the roster had blurred: Harrison Butker still holds the kicking job, even after the Chiefs quietly added veteran Justin Tucker to the practice squad. It is a familiar human pattern, a steady craftsman whose hands have gone unreliable under pressure, and an organization deciding whether to keep faith or hedge its bets. The decision rests on a short miss, a windy practice that suggested the old form is still there, and a past that makes the newcomer's arrival hard to celebrate without reservation.
On Thursday, Kansas City Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub made clear that Harrison Butker is still the starting kicker. The clarification followed the team's decision to sign Justin Tucker, the longtime Baltimore Ravens kicker, to the practice squad, a move that had raised doubts about where Butker stood.
Butker's season has been rocky. He has made 11 of 16 field-goal attempts, and four of the misses have come in his last four games. Toub singled out a missed 45-yard attempt against Seattle, calling it a bad miss in a game where every point counted. He framed the Tucker addition as support, not replacement, and pointed to a 10-for-10 practice the previous day in 28 mph wind gusts, with Tucker watching nearby.
The Chiefs had worked out three kickers, Ben Sauls, Harrison Mevis and Tucker. Toub said Tucker simply looked excellent. He described a grueling audition of 30 kicks, including long attempts from beyond 50 yards, and said Tucker's placement was precise enough to impress the staff.
The signing carries weight. Tucker served a suspension under the NFL's personal conduct policy after The Baltimore Banner reported allegations from former massage therapists. He has denied the claims, saying he never acted inappropriately, and the decision to bring him in has drawn sharp criticism.
Toub left the door open. Butker keeps the job for now, but continued struggles could change that. The answer will come Sunday, when the Chiefs face the Denver Broncos at 4:25 p.m. ET.
On Thursday, Kansas City Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub stood in front of reporters and settled a question the team's own roster move had raised: Harrison Butker is still the starting kicker. The clarification came days after the Chiefs signed Justin Tucker, the longtime Baltimore Ravens kicker, to the practice squad.
The context is a rough stretch for Butker. He has made 11 of 16 field-goal attempts this season, and four of those misses have come over his last four games. Toub pointed to one in particular, a missed 45-yard attempt in the Chiefs' loss to the Seattle Seahawks, which he called a "bad miss." In a tight game, he said, a kick that short has to go through. By his account, it was an issue in that game.
Still, Toub framed the Tucker signing as help rather than replacement. "Butker is our kicker," he said, adding that the aim is to get Butker right. He offered recent evidence from practice: Butker went 10-for-10 the previous day, with Tucker standing nearby, and he did it in 28-mile-per-hour wind gusts. Toub said that before practice he had privately felt sympathy for his kicker, given the conditions, and then watched him make every attempt.
The Chiefs had worked out three kickers: Ben Sauls, Harrison Mevis and Tucker. Asked why they chose Tucker, Toub said he is simply a good kicker. Special teams coaches around the league talk to one another, he said, and word was that Tucker had been hitting the ball well in tryouts. The Chiefs were his fifth workout, after four others. Toub noted that Butker and Tucker once admired each other during the years they kicked in the league together, and that Tucker had finished his 10-game suspension and was available.
Toub described the audition as a grueling workout. It included a 30-kick session, extra points, seven attempts from beyond 50 yards and one from 60. Tucker made every kick, Toub said, and he was precise: 60 percent landed inside a six-foot cylinder in the middle of the uprights. A kicker who is struggling, Toub argued, cannot place the ball like that. "He was off the charts good," he said, and that was why Tucker went onto the practice squad.
The signing has not come without a cost. Tucker's suspension came under the NFL's personal conduct policy after The Baltimore Banner reported in January 2025 that 16 women who worked as massage therapists accused him of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior during sessions between 2012 and 2016. On Feb. 16 of last year, the same outlet reported that seven more women had made similar allegations. Tucker denied the claims in a statement to OutKick, saying he never acted inappropriately before, during or after a session and has never been told he was unwelcome at any provider. He said he never intended to disrespect anyone or make anyone uncomfortable. The decision to sign him has drawn fierce criticism.
Toub left room for change. Butker holds the job for now, but the coordinator indicated that continued struggles could alter that. The next test comes Sunday, when the Chiefs play the Denver Broncos at 4:25 p.m. ET.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Butker is our kicker. We're trying to get Butker right.— Dave Toub, Chiefs special teams coordinator
I maintain I did not act inappropriately at any point before, during, or after a professional bodywork treatment session.— Justin Tucker, in a statement to OutKick
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