Atlanta Falcons bring in former Georgia Bulldogs standout Blair Walsh to compete for kicking job

Former Georgia Bulldogs standout Blair Walsh, who has kicked in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks, has joined the Atlanta Falcons in the final days of the preseason to compete for a job.
Former Georgia Bulldogs standout Blair Walsh, who has kicked in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks, has joined the Atlanta Falcons in the final days of the preseason to compete for a job.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. - With just a few days left in the preseason, the Atlanta Falcons have brought in former University of Georgia standout Blair Walsh to compete for their kicking job.

Walsh was at practice Sunday and will get a shot at beating out Giorgio Tavecchio, who has made only four of eight field-goal attempts in exhibition games this year. Both kickers are 29 years old.

The Falcons (0-4) close their preseason schedule on the road Thursday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars (0-3). Atlanta's season opener is Sept. 8 against the Minnesota Vikings, who took Walsh in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL draft.

Walsh made the Pro Bowl as a rookie and connected on 24 field goals of at least 50 yards during five years with the Vikings, but his career went off track after he missed a 27-yard field-goal attempt with 22 seconds remaining that would have won a playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks during the 2015 season.

Walsh was released by the Vikings and landed with the Seahawks in 2017. He wasn't re-signed after missing eight kicks for Seattle and didn't play last season.

"I've been training hard and committing to this process," Walsh said. "Being on the streets is never fun. But there's only 32 of us in the league. There's no backups. So when that spot does come open and you get that chance to come in and compete, that's all you can ask for."

Walsh tried out with the Falcons on Saturday and earned a chance to take the job from Tavecchio, who had been tapped to replace longtime Falcons kicker Matt Bryant.

"The workout went great," Walsh said. "That's what I'm here to do, just to compete and show them what I can bring to the Falcons. It's a good opportunity."

Bryant, who turned 44 in May, was let go this past February in a salary-cap move after 10 seasons with the Falcons.

That opened the way for Tavecchio, who filled in for three games last season when Bryant was injured and made all five of his field-goal attempts - including kicks of 50 and 56 yards. Tavecchio has struggled this preseason, though, missing all three of his tries from at least 50 yards with his longest field goal a 38-yarder.

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