Chargers Sign K Dustin Hopkins

The Chargers announced on Tuesday afternoon that they had signed veteran kicker Dustin Hopkins. They also waived kicker Tristan Vizcaino in a corresponding move. It was a move that seemed was on the horizon.

Vizcaino is a young kicker that was making mistakes. He has a league-high five missed extra points. It almost cost the Chargers the game against the Cleveland Browns near the end of the game when they were down 42-41. They were able to get the ball back and score the game-winner, but his misses were a problem.

Head coach Brandon Staley said Monday that the team was “open to all possibilities,” and they decided on Tuesday after working out Hopkins.

The veteran kicker was released by the Washington Football Team last week. He has made 163 out of 194 kicks which is 84%, plus he is 94% career for extra points. He has also made 145 field goals inside the 50-yard line, which only two other kickers have done.

The Chargers needed to make this move because, eventually, it could have cost them a game. Now they have a veteran in the room, so it will be interesting to see how Hopkins does on a new team. He hits a touchback on 71% of his kickoffs and has missed two field goals plus two extra points.

This is nothing new, though. In the last week, the Chargers have been making changes to their special teams. They waived returner K.J. Hill and added pro bowl returner Andre Roberts to give them a boost. Now they have done the same thing with their kicker.