The Cincinnati Bengals will be without their starting kicker for the foreseeable future, as Evan McPherson is expected to miss "a few weeks" with a groin injury according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. The injury isn't expected to be a season-ending one and won't require surgery.
A tough season gets worse for Evan McPherson
In light of McPherson's absence, the Bengals worked out several kickers, and they will be adding veteran kicker Cade York to the practice squad. York is expected to take over kicking duties while McPherson is sidelined.
York previously played with the Cleveland Browns and Washington Commanders. He was waived by Washington earlier this season after missing both of his field goal attempts in a Commanders uniform. He has converted 24 of 32 field goal attempts over the course of his career.
Ironically enough, York also has some history with Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow, as he played college ball with him at LSU. He was selected by the Browns in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
The change at kicker could be beneficial for the Bengals, as McPherson has struggled mightily this season. In Cincinnati's Week 11 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers, McPherson missed not one, but two, go-head field goal attempts that could have potentially helped Cincinnati secure a victory.
On the season as a whole, McPherson has converted only 72.7 percent of his field goal attempts (16 of 22), which is near the bottom of the barrel league-wide and represents a career low for McPherson. In fact, he's never posted a conversion rate below 82 percent over the course of a campaign prior to this season.
The Bengals have five games remaining on their regular season schedule, and their playoff hopes are virtually non-existent at this point. As a result, it will be interesting to see when -- and if -- McPherson is able to return to the field this season. It certainly doesn't seem like the Bengals need to be in any sort of rush to get him back out there.