OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- A week after releasing seven-time Pro Bowl kicker Justin Tucker, the Baltimore Ravens added competition for his potential replacement.
On Monday, the Ravens signed undrafted Wyoming rookie John Hoyland after a tryout last week. He will battle sixth-round pick Tyler Loop to be Baltimore's kicker this season.
The Ravens released Tucker on May 5, saying it was a football decision. Tucker is being investigated by the NFL after 16 massage therapists from high-end spas and wellness centers accused him of inappropriate behavior, according to the Baltimore Banner.
Hoyland missed only twice in 54 career attempts from under 40 yards. Last season, three of his four misses were from 50 yards or longer.
He is looking to follow in the footsteps of Tucker, who went undrafted in 2012, was signed after a tryout and then won Baltimore's kicking job. Tucker then became the most accurate kicker in NFL history (89.1%).
Hoyland must beat out Loop, who is the first kicker to be drafted by the Ravens. Loop converted 6 of 9 attempts from 50-plus yards in his college career at Arizona, including a 62-yarder last season.
After the first day of rookie minicamp last week, Ravens coach John Harbaugh praised Loop and Hoyland, saying, "Both kickers, I thought, looked really good today. So, we got them out there behind the line with the snap and everything, and I think they made them all, didn't they? So that's good to see. It's a good start that way."
In moving on from Tucker, the Ravens will rely on a new kicker for the first time in 14 years.
