Week 1 of the NFL season was an intriguing one for the NFC South, with three out of the four teams losing their respective games, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers being the only group of the bunch to take home a victory. Their win over the Atlanta Falcons was a close one, with a final score of 23-20, and it could have gone differently had Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo not missed a game-tying field goal attempt that could have sent things to overtime.
Instead, the veteran kicker sent it wide right, as what seems to be a decline in his consistency continues over the past few seasons. Once a lights-out kicker from anywhere on the field, Koo has dropped into the 75% and below range on field goals in 2024 and his first game of 2025. With that in mind, Atlanta has decided to take a look at some new options, trying out multiple kickers, including a former New Orleans Saints player, and signing him instead of the other choices.
A full list of tryouts was shared by D. Orlando Ledbetter from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which can be seen below:
Of the bunch, former Saints kicker John Parker Romo was the one who ultimately ended up signing with the team, as was reported by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Romo will have the opportunity to work his way up to the active roster if Koo continues to struggle, but for now, he will start off on the practice squad for Atlanta.
Romo has bounced around a few teams since signing with the Saints as an undrafted free agent back in 2022, including the San Antonio Brahmas, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, and New England Patriots, before his new stint with the Falcons. His only playing time came last year with the Vikings, playing four games and going 1-of-12 on field goals and 7-of-8 on PAT attempts, with a long kick of 55 yards. He could be an intriguing option for Atlanta as they look for a long-term solution to their kicking woes.