Don’t forget about the kicker; Elliott is an important Eagle in 2024

Don’t forget about the kicker; Elliott is an important Eagle in 2024 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Over the next few weeks leading up to training camp, we’ll be counting down the top 25 most important Eagles for the 2024 season.

25. Brandon Graham
24. Nakobe Dean
23. Milton Williams
22. Jake Elliott

A lot of Eagles ended up slumping in 2023.

Not Jake Elliott.

The Eagles’ kicker had his best season last year and was named as a second-team All-Pro. The only thing that kept him from the first team was Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey, who was literally perfect in 2023.

Elliott wasn’t perfect. But he was darn close and did most of his kicking outdoors. His 59-yard field goal to force overtime against Buffalo in Week 12 is one of the hardest kicks we’ve ever seen. That earned him his third Special Teams Player of the Week honor in 2023.

In all, Elliott made 30 of 32 field goals and 45 of 46 extra point attempts. He was 7 of 8 from 50+ too.

Elliott, 29, again proved himself to be one of the best kickers in the NFL and then the Eagles paid him like it. After locking up punter Braden Mann and Rick Lovato with new contracts, Elliott got his bag. The Eagles gave him a four-year, $24 million contract through 2028. That $6 million average per year ties him with Justin Tucker as the top paid kickers in the NFL.

There’s no question that Elliott deserves it.

Since a down season in 2020, Elliott has been one of the best kickers in the NFL. He has made 80 of 88 field goals (90.9%) and 15 of 17 field goals from 50+ (88.2%) in the last three years.

And it all starts with his preparation.

“I’ve just kind of kept my process,” Elliott said last week after the extension. “I really focus in on my fundamentals in the offseason. I think ever since Tyler Brown’s come in here with Coach (Michael) Clay, he’s kind of honed in on some of that stuff with me and helped me develop a plan in the offseason.

“I give myself a little break and let my body recover and then kind…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/dont-forget-kicker-elliott-important-110000974.html

Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia

Publish date : 2024-06-21 11:00:00

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