Jamison Hensley
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — At the end of the month, the Baltimore Ravens could face a situation in which kicker Justin Tucker shares the field with his potential successor, Tyler Loop.
Asked how the Ravens would handle the dynamic of Tucker and Loop being in the same building, coach John Harbaugh said, “Every decision we make has to be based on football. There’s a lot of layers to that. You’ve got a rookie kicker and here you took him in the sixth round, early in the sixth round. He’s a talented guy. Just from a football standpoint — salary cap, all the different things that you just take into consideration — whatever we decide to do over the next few weeks will be based on football.”
This offseason, Tucker has been accused by 16 massage therapists of inappropriate behavior, including sexual misconduct, according to The Baltimore Banner. He has twice publicly disputed the allegations.
Tucker has been at the Ravens’ facility the last couple of weeks kicking and working out. On Sunday, rookie sixth-round pick Loop kicked for the first time at the Ravens facility, where the team began its rookie minicamp.
The first time Tucker and Loop would practice on the same field is May 27, which is the start of Baltimore’s offseason training activities.
Team officials previously said the team wouldn’t make a determination on Tucker until the NFL had finished its investigation. A month later, the Ravens drafted a kicker for the first time in franchise history when they selected Loop with the No. 186 pick.
“I would just say from a standpoint of the investigation and all that, I mean we don’t know anything,” Harbaugh said. “We haven’t been given any information, and as it should be. It’s all done the way it’s done. So, we don’t know anything along those lines, so we can’t make any decisions based on that.”
Tucker, 35, is the most accurate kicker in NFL history, but he is coming off the worst season of his 13-year career. He missed 10 total kicks last season.
If the Ravens part ways with Tucker, they likely will need to designate him as a post-June 1 cut to split the $7.5 million in dead money over two seasons and gain $4.2 million in salary cap space this year. But no decision appears imminent.
Loop, who was the Ravens’ top-rated kicker in this draft, is known for his consistent technique and leg strength. Loop has converted 6 of 9 attempts from 50-plus yards, including a 62-yarder last season. At the NFL scouting combine, Loop hit 13 of 14 field goal attempts (93.3%) and finished by connecting on a 60-yarder.
After watching Loop kick in person for the first time, Harbaugh said, “I think as much as anything, it’s good to hear a kicker and the way the ball comes off his foot is impressive.”
Also at Ravens minicamp, second-round linebacker Mike Green declined to specifically address the two sexual assault allegations in his past.
“Every team asked me [about past sexual assault allegations], and I’ve been completely open about everything,” said Green, who led the FBS with 17 sacks. “It is something that I had to go through, and I got through it. At this point forward, I’m just focused on moving on with my career at the Ravens.”
At the combine in February, Green said that he was accused of sexual assault at Virginia, leading to his transfer to Marshall, and that he had faced another sexual assault allegation in high school. Green was never charged and insisted he did nothing wrong.
When asked to shed light on the two accusations, Green said, “Like I said, I’m just focused, right now, on moving forward with my career at the Ravens. I’m blessed to be here. It’s an honor, and like I said, I’m glad to see what the future might hold for me.”
