Tyler Loop is suddenly on shaky ground in Baltimore

Last year, with the Ravens planning to move on from former All-Pro kicker Justin Tucker (who has completely fallen off the map after his Personal Conduct Policy suspension), they invested a sixth-round pick in his replacement, Tyler Loop. xsportfeed.quest

Now, Loop could be the one getting replaced.

Via Jamison Hensley of ESPN, Loop missed a pair of field goals during the preseason finale against the Commanders. It prompted boos from the home crowd and a lukewarm assessment of Loop by new coach Jesse Minter.

"You want to see makes in games," Minter told reporters after the 41-2 win. "And so, it's something we'll continue to look at. We'll continue to look at what the best situation is there. He has had a good camp overall, but again, it comes down to making the kicks and the pressure situations in the game. So, that's something I think that we'll always be looking at to make sure that we're doing what's best for the team."

Loop didn't have in-house competition during training camp. Minter hasn't ruled out adding an alternative as Week 1 approaches.

"I think there's a million scenarios there to try to make sure that we have the best situation headed into Indy," Minter said.

Via Hensley, Loop has made field goals from 20, 24, 42, 49, and 51 yards. He has missed from 49, 51, and 58 yards.

As a rookie, Loop made 30 of 34 field goals, and 44 of 46 extra points. His misfires included a 44-yard field goal on the last play of the last game of the regular season, causing the Ravens to lose to the Steelers, to miss the playoffs, and to grease the skids for the firing of 18-year coach John Harbaugh.

Cowboys outside linebacker and special teams contributor Marist Liufau exited Friday night's preseason finale early, returned with his arm in a cast and sling, and is now expected to get surgery and miss time.

Dallas head coach Brian Schottenheimer said Liufau will miss "weeks," while owner Jerry Jones said Liufau could be back "quickly," according to ESPN.

"Losing Marist as a football player is tough," Schottenheimer said. "Unfortunately, it's part of the business. You guys all know him and the way he'll attack his rehab, and so we'll get surgery done as soon as we can and next man up. But yeah, he was a critical, critical part of not just two or three special teams, really all four. He's a 'four-core' guy that you just rely on and he plays the game with violence and we have some other guys in that locker room that do that as well."

It's unclear whether the Cowboys will keep Liufau on the 53-man roster after Sunday's final cutdowns, or put him on injured reserve to start the season.

Liufau was a 2024 third-round draft pick who has played all 17 games in both of his first two seasons with the Cowboys. Last year he was on the field for 18 percent of the Cowboys' defensive plays and 75 percent of the Cowboys' special teams plays.