KC Chiefs work out kicker in wake of Harrison Butker’s injury

The Kansas City Chiefs are working out a new kicker in the wake of Harrison Butker’s injury from last Sunday against the Cardinals.

The Kansas City Chiefs went to work on Monday morning to prepare for a short week ahead after suffering a number of injuries on Sunday in Week 1 in their win over the Arizona Cardinals. One of the most pressing concerns is Harrison Butker’s ankle injury, and the Chiefs made sure to schedule a workout with a new kicker at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday with the reported visit from Tristan Vizcaino.

According to NFL reporter Aaron Wilson of the Pro Football Network, Vizcaino is working out for the Chiefs and could be a contingency plan with the L.A. Chargers looming on a short week on Thursday Night Football in week 2.

Vizcaino has been a short-term solution for teams like the San Francisco 49ers and Chargers in years past, and just last year, he converted 6 of 7 field goal attempts for the Bolts in six games played.

As for Butker his plant foot (left) slipped and twisted in an awkward way when kicking off following a touchdown by Travis Kelce in the first quarter. Butker immediately went to the medical tent and was ultimately carted off to the locker room for further attention. From there, the Chiefs relied on safety Justin Reid to kick two extra points and on kickoffs. However, a missed extra point likely halted that exercise and Butker came back out to kick field goals thereafter in a heroic move since he was still clearly in a lot of pain.

Butker drilled a 54-yard field goal with only a single-step move against the Cardinals, and he’s been an underrated weapon on a team with so many superstars. His accuracy makes him one of the league’s most reliable kickers and yet his leg strength is also well above average, giving the Chiefs a likely Pro Bowl performer at some point—if Justin Tucker didn’t reside in the AFC as well.

More details to come on Butker’s availability as the week goes on, but the Chiefs are clearly going to have a plan in place in case Butker simply cannot give it a go.