The Chargers elected to go with a new kicker to start the 2021 season, cutting Michael Badgley in favor of Tristan Vizcaino.
Badgley had been Los Angeles’ kicker for the last three seasons. He missed 12 kicks last year, including five field-goal attempts from 40-49 yards.
Vizcaino went undrafted out of Washington in 2018 and is on his seventh squad with the Chargers. He made three field goals and two extra points in one game for San Francisco last year.
“Ultimately, what convinced me, [G.M.] Tom [Telesco], and our coaching staff about Tristan was that this guy has real talent,” head coach Brandon Staley said, via Chris Hayre of the team’s website. “This guy has real leg strength. We feel like he has a lot of ability. He’s at the beginning of his football journey. We felt that if there’s a product in there, that if we continue to tap into that development, that there’s a really talented player there. Then, the kickoff aspect of the job was really important. We feel like he has a really special kickoff leg.”
Vizcaino hit two of his three field-goal attempts in the 2021 preseason.