Chiefs coordinator backs Harrison Butker as starter despite Justin Tucker's 'off the charts' workout

The Kansas City Chiefs brought in Justin Tucker amid Harrison Butker’s struggles, but special teams coordinator Dave Toub made it clear who the starting kicker is.

Butker has struggled this season, making just 11 of 16 field-goal attempts, with four of his misses coming over his last four games. Amid those woes, the team brought in Tucker to provide competition, but Toub remained steadfast in his support of Butker.

"Butker is our kicker," Toub told reporters on Thursday. "We’re trying to improve, we’re trying to get Butker right. That’s what this whole thing is about."

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Toub said Butker has performed well in practice this week despite windy conditions and Tucker’s presence.

"He went 10-for-10 yesterday with Tucker standing right there," Toub said. "And he went 10-for-10. On a windy day, it was 28-mile-an-hour gusts yesterday, and he went 10-for-10. And I thought right before out to practice, I was going, ‘This poor bastard,’ I mean, it’s 28-mile-an-hour gusts and he’s got to go out there and try to — and he did it. He went 10-for-10, so that’s a good thing. So we’re going to keep working it."

The Chiefs worked out Ben Sauls, Harrison Mevis and Tucker, and Toub was asked why the team chose the former Baltimore Ravens kicker.

"Because (Justin Tucker) he is a good kicker. And I've heard he's been out making the rounds, and we talk. All the special teams coaches talk. He had four workouts before we brought—we were his fifth workout, tryout. And the word was that he was hitting the ball great, and I wanted to see it. I always thought he was a great kicker, and those two guys right now, Harrison and him, they idolized each other in the league when they were kicking together. He was out there, he did his 10-game suspension, so he was available, we brought him in," Toub said.

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Toub said he put the kickers through a "grueling workout" that included a "30 kick," extra points, seven attempts from beyond 50 yards and one from 60 yards. Tucker made every kick with exceptional accuracy.

"Not only did he make them, he was accurate. 60 percent of his kicks were inside of a six-foot cylinder in the middle of the uprights. Somebody that's struggling as a kicker is not able to put the ball with that kind of accuracy," Toub said. "So, he was off the charts good. That's the reason why we signed him to the practice squad."

Tucker served a 10-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy after 16 female massage therapists accused him of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior during sessions between 2012 and 2016, according to reporting by The Baltimore Banner in January 2025.

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On Feb. 16 of last year, the same outlet reported that seven more women had come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against Tucker. The longtime Ravens kicker denied the allegations in a statement to OutKick.

"I maintain I did not act inappropriately at any point before, during, or after a professional bodywork treatment session, nor have I ever been told I am unwelcome at any massage therapy provider," he said. "These claims are simply not true."

"I can assure whoever is reading this that I have never intended to disrespect anyone, cross any boundary, or make anyone feel uncomfortable in any way whatsoever."

The decision to sign Tucker to the practice squad has drawn fierce criticism.

While Toub said Butker is still the team’s kicker, that could change if his struggles continue. Toub described Butker’s missed 45-yard field goal in the team’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks as a "bad miss."

"You’ve got to make the kicks," Toub said. "The short kicks — that’s considered a short kick — you’ve got to make those in situations where it’s a tight game like that. It was an issue in that game, for sure."

The Chiefs next game is against the Denver Broncos at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday.