INDIANAPOLIS — An integral piece to the Raiders’ future at kicker isn’t a kicker.
It’s Marquette King, Oakland’s punter and holder, who essentially limits the team to left-footed kickers only.
King has held for left-footers his entire career, first Sebastian Janikowski then Giorgio Tavecchio, and new Raiders head coach Jon Gruden seems to think a switch is unreasonable given the difficulty it would afford King. Gruden said he’s relying on Tavecchio at kicker, yet he wants competition at every spot. As the Raiders look for clarity in their post-Janikowski era, it might be Tavecchio or another left-footer at kicker.