EAGAN, Minn. — The kicker carousel has spun frequently around the NFL this fall.The riders keep getting hurt.Traditionally viewed in this tough-guy sport as the quirky specialists who get to steer clear of the danger that lurks on the field, the place-kicking community has experienced an outsized amount of pain this season for a role that primarily hinges on handling the mental challenge of high-pressure performance.Teams that have made it this far without having to switch kickers ought to feel fortunate.“Just looking for a live leg, you know?” New York Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said last week after his team’s latest shuffle landed on Spencer Shrader, who’s now headed for the Kansas City Chiefs with eighth-year veteran Harrison Butker on injured reserve.Butker is one of seven kickers currently on IR, a who’s-who group of sorts at the position that includes Matt Prater and Greg Zuerlein.This will be Shrader’s third team, having also kicked in one game for the Indianapolis Colts. His expected replacement on the Jets, Anders Carlson, has already handled kicking duty in two games for the San Francisco 49ers. There were 45 different players who attempted at least one kick this regular season entering this week, and that figure didn’t reflect Shrader’s appearance with multiple teams. Essentially, after the weekend is over, the total would be 48.The Jets will be at four — in four weeks — and join the 49ers and their co-tenant the New York Giants for the most in the league. Both the 49ers and the Giants had to give their punters a turn, thanks to in-game injuries. The Washington Commanders have used three.According to Sportradar data, there were only 41 kickers used across the league over the entire 2023 season, including one punter appearance and a double shot by Riley Patterson with both the Cleveland Browns and the Detroit Lions. Ten years ago, only 37 players attempted a kick in a regular season game.So what’s the story? Predictably, opinions vary around the NFL.One issue has been more kickoffs in play following the rule change, as the 49ers experienced with Jake Moody and Matthew Wright going down …
