OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Though Justin Tucker remained on the roster at the conclusion of the 2025 NFL draft, the Ravens took a major step toward potentially replacing their longtime kicker.
On Saturday, Baltimore drafted a kicker for the first time in franchise history by taking Arizona’s Tyler Loop with the 186th overall pick. It was the culmination of an extensive pre-draft evaluation process from senior special teams coach Randy Brown. Loop was the second kicker to go off the draft board after Miami’s Andres Borregales was selected by New England four spots earlier, an indication that general manager Eric DeCosta couldn’t wait much longer to get his guy.
Loop was the second of five players drafted by the Ravens in the sixth round.
“I think Randy does a phenomenal job of evaluating these kickers, and he came back and said, ‘Hey, Eric, there’s one guy that I really covet, and it’s Loop,'” DeCosta said. “For us, we kind of felt like we had to draft him, and it was just a matter of getting the right spot and kind of working the picks and kind of coming up with the right combination.
“We think he’s got a really strong leg, and he’s got a lot of potential.”
What it means for Tucker’s future remains to be seen as the NFL continues its investigation into sexual misconduct allegations coming from 16 massage therapists in the Baltimore area from 2012-16. DeCosta did not have any updates on the league’s investigation or when it might be completed, saying the organization is “just kind of waiting.” Head coach John Harbaugh confirmed Tucker was in the building this past week for the start of the offseason training program and was aware of the possibility of the Ravens drafting a kicker.
DeCosta was noncommittal when asked how the arrival of Loop impacts Tucker’s roster standing.
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“I haven’t really thought about that at this point. I just thought he was a really talented player, and it made sense for us to do that for a lot of different reasons,” DeCosta said. “We’ve told you guys multiple times this spring that we would look at kickers. For us, it’s like any other position this year. We evaluated all these guys. We felt like he was draftable. We felt like he was the best kicker, and it made sense for us to take him.”
Loop went 67-for-80 on field goals in his collegiate career and made a school-record 62-yarder last season. He went 18-for-23 on field goals and made six of nine tries from 50 or more yards in 2024, numbers that made him one of the top kicking prospects in this year’s draft. Loop and Borregales were the only kickers to be drafted, but Florida State’s Ryan Fitzgerald and Pitt’s Ben Sauls were also highly regarded.
Though choosing his words carefully when asked about potentially competing with Tucker and succeeding the seven-time Pro Bowl selection and most accurate kicker in NFL history, Loop expressed much enthusiasm about becoming a Raven and confidence in his ability to succeed at the next level.
“It’s really exciting more than pressure just because it gives you something to shoot for, right?” Loop said. “We always want to be improving. We always want to be chasing perfection and learning how to adjust well and make kicks. Getting to follow in the footsteps of a guy like him — who’s been so elite — and getting to compete with him and maybe learn from him, that gets me fired up.
“I’m ready to get up there and start competing and finding ways to win games and make kicks.”
In addition to facing such serious allegations, Tucker is coming off the worst season of his 13-year career in which he missed a career-high eight field goals and made just 73.3% of his attempts. The 35-year-old did finish the season on a positive note by making all three field goal attempts and each of his 18 extra point tries after the Week 14 bye and then converting both of his field goal tries and each extra point in the postseason.
