When Lawrence Tynes suffered a thigh contusion in Saturday night’s preseason opener it figured that the Giants would probably have to sign another kicker for a week or so until Tynes was able to return. The Giants did sign a kicker Tuesday night, but the one they brought in, Rhys Lloyd, may stick around awhile.
Tynes said he is improving quickly and there’s no threat of him losing his placekicking job. Lloyd, though, is not your normal kicker. He’s a kickoff specialist who has appeared in 50 NFL games and never even attempted a field goal or an extra point. What he does do is kick off and there are few in the league who can match his success rate.
The Giants tried to sign Lloyd – a native of Dover, England – in 2010 but he went to the Vikings. Of his 220 kickoffs in the NFL, 64 went for touchbacks, a rate of 29.1 percent. In 2008, he led the league in touchbacks with 30 for the Panthers. This was all accomplished with kickoffs from the 30-yard line. The new rule this season moves kickoffs up five yards to the 35-yard line, which will lead to increased touchbacks. The Giants have had all sorts of problems covering kickoffs and punts and with Lloyd on board they will have to cover far fewer kickoffs, as he might be able to send half of them into the end zone for touchbacks.
Lloyd entered the NFL in 2005 with the Ravens.
Tynes might have to miss Monday night’s preseason game against the Bears but is expected back soon. Punter Matt Dodge has been practicing kickoffs but Tom Coughlin wants Dodge to concentrate exclusively on punting and his competition with veteran Steve Weatherford.
The Giants earlier on Tuesday staged a kicking workout, with Lloyd, Shayne Graham and John Kasay in attendance. Any signing figured to be a short-term deal while Tynes healed but Lloyd could stick if Coughlin opts to keep two kickers on the roster. That usually is a luxury teams cannot afford but another new rule for this season expands the game-day active roster to 46 players. Coughlin usually only keeps two quarterbacks so there could be an extra spot for a kickoff specialist.
Rhys was born and raised in England but he did attend high school in Minnesota. He kicked at the University of Minnesota and went 26 of 36 on field goals in his college career.
To make room on the roster, the Giants waived/injured cornerback Woodny Turenne (calf).