In a somewhat surprising move, the Oakland Raiders are moving on from Giorgio Tavecchio.
The Raiders cut the second-year kicker, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport. The news was first reported by Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Tavecchio was slated to handle Oakland's kicking duties after an encouraging rookie campaign that saw him replace longtime booter Sebastian Janikowski as the Raiders' uprights expert.
In addition to parting ways with Tavecchio, the Raiders signed veteran kicker Mike Nugent to a one-year contract on Saturday. Nugent is expected to compete with rookie Eddy Pineiro for the team's kicking duties.
Tavecchio made 16 of 21 field-goal attempts last season and converted on 33 of 34 PATs. Gehlken noted that Tavecchio went 6-for-6 on his daily set of attempts Friday but missed a long try later in the afternoon.
The 28-year-old Italian's departure is the latest move by Oakland to overhaul its special teams. The Raiders released punter Marquette King (signed with the Broncos) and traded top return man Cordarrelle Patterson to the Patriots during the offseason.
Nugent's addition will revive a Raiders camp kicking battle for the third consecutive year even if Pineiro is considered the favorite to win the job. The undrafted rookie out of Florida might not be worthy of a second-round pick, but he was the most successful kicker in Gators history.
