Evan McPherson earned the nickname “Money Mac” around Cincinnati following his rookie season for a reason.
McPherson, drafted in the fifth round by the Bengals in 2021, had about as good of a rookie season as a kicker could hope for in the NFL. He became a weapon for Cincinnati’s offense with an 80 percent or higher success rate in each of his first three seasons.
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The team went on to give McPherson a three-year contract extension last summer and the year didn’t go as planned. McPherson had his worst professional season converting on only 16 of his 22 total field goals (72.7 percent). He also sustained a season-ending groin injury in December that forced him to revaluate his entire kicking mechanics.
After a thorough evaluation period, McPherson decided to go back to basics and focus on the technique that made him the kicker he is.
Bengals placekicker Evan McPherson has reassessed his entire process after coming off the worst season of his career in 2024. “I’m at the point now where I’m going back to how I grew up learning how to kick,” McPherson said.
“The past three years after my rookie year I went on a deep dive to figure out how I can be more consistent and it sent me the other way,” McPherson acknowledged on July 25. “This past offseason I went back to what I grew up doing when I started kicking and in college and everything I’ve done leading up to my rookie season. I resorted back to that, and I feel more comfortable in my technique now. I can focus on the kick and not my steps and all of the other stuff I was putting on myself.”
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McPherson said as a perfectionist he was looking for a “straighter and more consistent ball flight” and that’s why he made tweaks. But as mentioned, it didn’t work in his favor.
“I’m at the point now where I’m going back to how I grew up learning how to kick,” McPherson said.
Another key change McPherson is making ahead of this offseason is working on his conditioning and body maintenance. McPherson said he is spending more time than ever warming up before practices and will continue that during the season.
“I warmed up fine I thought, but I don’t think I warmed up well enough,” he said. “And just didn’t get those little muscles (ready) like I needed too and that’s what ended up tearing. All the extra body work that I haven’t done in the past because I had a younger body, I feel like I’m doing now to try and stay ahead of the injuries.”
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If McPherson can get back to being the automatic kicker he was in his first two seasons, the Bengals will enter every game with a significant special teams advantage. And as seen last year in multiple games that were decided by one score, it could be the difference between making the playoffs or not.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Evan McPherson tweaks kicking technique after dissapointing season