When Kansas City rookie kicker Justin Medlock walked onto the field Sunday, he sensed his job was on the line. And the 30-yard field goal he missed might have cost him that job.
The Chiefs have decided to make a change at kicker, cutting Medlock and reaching agreement with former Green Bay Packers kicker Dave Rayner, who was en route to Kansas City on Monday.
Rayner is expected to sign with Kansas City one week after he and six other kickers worked out for the Chiefs. Rayner connected on 26 of 35 field goals last season for the Green Bay Packers, often in poor weather conditions.
And the Chiefs are hardly the only team making changes at the kicker position. The Jacksonville Jaguars have no choice but to do the same.
During Sunday's pregame warmups, Jaguars kicker Josh Scobee injured his quad muscle. He managed to kick a chip-shot field goal and an extra point, but he now is expected to be out six to eight weeks.
With Scobee sidelined, the Jaguars are scheduled to work out three kickers Tuesday -- Mike Vanderjagt, formerly of the Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys, and John Carney and Billy Cundiff, both former New Orleans Saints. The players are traveling to Jacksonville on Monday for Tuesday's workout.
The most intriguing of the three is Vanderjagt, the NFL's all-time leader in field-goal percentage. Since the Cowboys released him last year, Vanderjagt has been attempting, unsuccessfully, to get back into the league. Forget about getting a job; Vanderjagt barely could get a workout. The Saints worked him out, but Vanderjagt did not get the job.
Now he has a chance in Jacksonville. However, Scobee's absence is going to affect the Jaguars on kickoffs, an area in which Scobee excelled. His replacement Sunday, punter Adam Podlesh, struggled in that area. Cundiff handled kickoffs last season for the Saints, with Carney handling the field goals.
