Chiefs sign former Penn State kicker Sam Ficken
The Chiefs have signed former Penn State kicker Sam Ficken, sources told The Star.
The move came after the Chiefs worked out a number of kickers on Tuesday, as starting kicker Cairo Santos — a Pro Bowl alternate last season — is dealing with what coach Andy Reid described as a groin strain.
“Scar tissue due to an injury he had before in college,” Reid said after practice Tuesday. “We’ll just monitor it and see how he does. We’ll just monitor it and see how he does, just in case he can’t go in this game.”
The Chiefs also worked out former Liberty kicker John Lunsford, a source confirmed to The Star, and former Stanford kicker Conrad Ukropina.
Ficken, an undrafted free agent in 2015, hasn’t attempted a regular-season kick. But he did spend time with the Chiefs during their rookie minicamp in 2015, and he’s also spent time with the Jaguars and Saints. As a senior at Penn State in 2014, he made 24 of 29 field goals with a long of 50.
But again, Reid doesn’t expect Santos to be out too long.
“He should be fine,” Reid said. “It’s not a serious deal.”
Terez A. Paylor: 816-234-4489, @TerezPaylor. Download Red Zone Extra, The Star's Chiefs app.
This story was originally published August 8, 2017 at 5:00 PM with the headline "Chiefs sign former Penn State kicker Sam Ficken."