The Facts: The Falcons won’t exercise their option on kicker Matt Bryant‘s contract for the 2019 season, which will send him to free agency on March 13 and leave Tavecchio in place to take over as the kicker in Atlanta. HC Dan Quinn said it was “time to move on” when asked about Bryant during a Wednesday press conference and new special teams coach Ben Kotwica shared something he likes about Tavecchio. “I’ve got a lot of respect for Giorgio,” Kotwica said. “The thing I respect about him is that he’s been through the grinder. What do I mean by that? This is a player that came out of college, and he’s gone through multiple offseason camps where there’s 60 kickers there. He’s been through that, which helps with his experience, with his database.”
Diehards Line:Tavecchio was 16-of-21 on field goals and 33-of-34 on extra points with the Raiders in 2017. He made all five field goals and eight extra points he tried while filling in for an injured Bryant last season.