IS JOSH LAMBO COMPETING FOR HIS JOB THIS SUMMER?

David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire

Returning from injury, Josh Lambo will have to earn his job in 2021.

BY JORDAN DE LUGO

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Josh Lambo is going to have to earn his job as the Jaguars' starting kicker in 2021. That's right, according to head coach Urban Meyer, the Big Cats have yet to decide who their starting kicker will be this season.

The team currently has Josh Lambo and Aldrick Rosas under contract. 

The Jaguars had a bit of a kick competition on the first day of veteran mandatory minicamp between Lambo and Rosas.

"The kicker situation, that's exactly what that was," said Meyer. "We have two guys that are very talented kickers, very talented. And we're going to do that quite often before we have to make a decision."

Josh Lambo being forced to earn his job may come as a surprise. After all, since joining the Jaguars in 2017, Lambo has been the most accurate field goal kicker in the NFL, connecting on 95% of his tries. Lambo is coming off a hip injury that flared up multiple times in 2020 that ultimately led to him missing the final eight games of the season and 12 games overall. 

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The competition? Aldrick Rosas. One of several kickers to fill in for Josh Lambo in 2020, Rosas connected on 8/11 field goal tries for the Jags and made all nine of his extra point attempts. He embarrassingly had trouble staying on his feet during a few of his kicks. For his career, Rosas has made a pedestrian 81.4% of his field goal attempts. After making the Pro Bowl in 2018, his second year in the league, Rosas' accuracy has taken a big hit, as he's made only 71.4% of his tries over the last two seasons.

"It's a competition," said newly hired special teams coordinator Nick Sorensen. "We've got two guys, they're both very good kickers and they're competing to win the job. That's what we're doing every day and they've both been great."

Sorensen continued: "They're both talented. I mean Rosas, he's had success in the past and he's showing that he has the ability. He's shown that and this is a competition. That's what it is. They're both competing every day. They've both done very well, and they're both very talented. That competition will continue."

Urban Meyer will emphasize and promote competition throughout the summer. While Lambo has been the most accurate kicker in football during his time with the Jaguars, Meyer isn't giving him a free pass coming off an injury. Still, as long as Josh Lambo is healthy and locked in, he should have no problem outdueling Aldrick Rosas for the starting job in training camp. 

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