Things have reached a boiling point with Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker. He has made just five of his nine kick attempts over the last two games. The Chiefs responded by signing former Baltimore Ravens K Justin Tucker to the practice squad.

Butker has been in decline for more than a season, and the Chiefs’ blind faith in their longtime starter landed them in this predicament. Chiefs general manager Brett Veach could have brought in competition for Butker during the 2026 NFL offseason. He could have done it during the 2025 NFL offseason, too.

He didn’t, and here we are.

Chiefs set a precedent with Matt Araiza and ignored it with Harrison Butker

Kansas City has handled this situation differently before. When P Matt Araiza hadn’t proven himself yet and still had work to do, the Chiefs pushed him. They brought in Ryan Rehkow during the 2024 offseason and Eddie Czaplicki during the 2025 offseason. Araiza beat out both players.

For Butker, the Chiefs stood pat. They brought in no competition during the offseason or training camp and simply let things play out. Signing an undrafted free agent kicker to a rookie contract costs virtually nothing. In the best-case scenario, you make yourself a trade-value asset. That kind of move can push any player, even a seasoned veteran like Butker, to be a better version of himself. Kansas City already knew that, because it had done exactly that at punter.

Justin Tucker brings accuracy and off-field baggage to Kansas City

Now, with Butker struggling and limited options available, the Chiefs have turned to Tucker. He hasn’t kicked in the NFL since the 2024 season.

Tucker was accused of sexually inappropriate behavior by 16 massage therapists from eight separate high-end spas. Those incidents allegedly occurred from 2012-16, covering Tucker’s first five NFL seasons. He served a 10-game suspension after an NFL investigation determined he violated the league’s personal conduct policy.

The seven-time Pro Bowl kicker is known as one of the league’s most accurate kickers, but he carries disturbing off-field baggage. He also has a history of beef with the two most important players in the Chiefs’ locker room.

Kansas City didn’t lack alternatives. Harrison Mevis, the former Missouri kicker who was recently released by the Los Angeles Rams, was in the building for a tryout alongside Tucker. Ben Sauls, who has spent time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, and New York Giants, was also there, according to KC Star’s Sam McDowell.

Tucker went 30-of-30 on his kicks during the Chiefs’ tryout. His final season in Baltimore told a different story. In 2024, before the Ravens released him, Tucker made 22 of 30 field-goal attempts (73.3%) and 60 of 62 extra-point attempts. Five of his eight field goal misses came from 50-plus yards.

The Chiefs are taking heat for the signing because of the off-field situation. They should really be taking heat for the bad process that led them here.

Offensive tackle and wide receiver tell the same story for the Chiefs

This isn’t just a kicker issue. The offensive tackle situation has also become a reactive mess for Veach.

He had everyone convinced that the Chiefs would take an offensive tackle in the 2026 NFL Draft. Instead, Kansas City selected CB Mansoor Delane in Round 1 and didn’t address the position at all. Sure, the Chiefs lucked into UDFA OT Kahlil Benson, who has been the solid fill-in they’ve needed on the left side. That’s the lone improvement they seem to have made to the room.

Joshua Ezeudu and Diego Pounds both arrived via trade when things started to go awry with Josh Simmons at the beginning of the season. Neither has been an upgrade. We haven’t seen Pounds on the field yet, which suggests he isn’t ready to contribute. Ezeudu struggled last week, though it was a tough environment. His fill-in performance the game before, when Jaylon Moore suffered a concussion, wasn’t quite as bad.

Everyone knew this offseason the Chiefs had to improve at offensive tackle. Instead, they’re coming off a Week 7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks with their starting left tackle on injured reserve. Simmons landed there with a mystery back injury. Some NFL insiders claim Simmons may never play for the Chiefs again.

You can say the same about the wide receiver position. Kansas City has needed upgrades there since the 2022 NFL season. There has been plenty of investment, but very little of substance, and plenty of hope that the current players would improve with coaching and time. That hasn’t happened. The Chiefs’ leading receiver had just 18 yards against one of the league’s best defenses in the Week 7 loss. That’s not championship football.

Maybe Tucker never kicks for the Chiefs. Maybe he is just being brought in to help Butker correct his kicking issues. Even so, there’s a legitimate argument that he shouldn’t be around an NFL team at all. Maybe he plays well, and all is forgiven, which seems to be how things go across the league.

No team can prepare for everything that happens in the NFL. Sometimes a front office has to react and sign a player midseason. However, the Chiefs deserve the heat and frustration they’re getting for signing Tucker. They probably deserve more for the blind faith and bad decisions that put them in this spot. They similarly deserve criticism for the situations at tackle and receiver.