OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- The Baltimore Ravens have invested countless hours into scouting kickers leading into this year's NFL draft.
Ravens senior special teams coach Randy Brown has bounced around the country looking at college kickers amid the uncertainty surrounding Justin Tucker. This offseason, Tucker has been accused of sexual misconduct by 16 massage therapists from eight Baltimore spas and wellness centers, according to the Baltimore Banner.
The NFL is investigating the incidents, which reportedly occurred during sessions from 2012 to 2016. Tucker has publicly disputed the allegations twice, issuing a statement on social media in January in which he called the accusations "unequivocally false."
Whether the Ravens use one of their 11 draft picks on a kicker is the most delicate topic surrounding the AFC North champions.
"It is worth [using a draft pick on a kicker] if you have the right kicker," Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said Tuesday. "It just depends on the board, it depends on the player, it depends on who's there and it depends on how your coaches see him. And also it should be said that some of the greatest kickers of all time weren't drafted, right? So there's no blueprint for finding a kicker."
If Baltimore drafts a kicker, it would be a historic move. The Ravens are the only franchise that hasn't drafted a kicker in the common draft era (since 1967).
In the 30 drafts since moving from Cleveland in 1996, the Ravens have drafted 252 players, which includes two punters and one long-snapper. Baltimore hasn't needed to use a pick on one because it has primarily had three kickers in its existence: Matt Stover (1996 to 2008), who relocated with the team from Cleveland; Billy Cundiff (2009 to 2011), who was signed as a free agent; and Tucker (2012 to now), who went undrafted in 2012.
Baltimore could take a kicker with one of its eight Day 3 selections, and it goes beyond the allegations against Tucker. Even though Tucker is currently the most accurate kicker in NFL history, he's 35 and is coming off the worst season of his career. Tucker missed 10 kicks -- eight field goals and two extra points -- in the 2024 season.
"Obviously, there are a lot of layers to that whole conversation, but it's something we would have to do no matter what," coach John Harbaugh said. "At this point in time, you have to look. You always have to do your due diligence, so we will be prepared to do that on draft day if we feel like we need to and if the right guy is there."
On Monday, the Ravens conducted a private workout with Florida State kicker Ryan Fitzgerald, who was 13-of-13 last season, including five from 50 yards or longer. ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said he expects Fitzgerald to be the first kicker taken in this year's draft.
Kiper described this year's draft class for kickers as "not too bad." Kiper's top-ranked kicker is Miami's Andres Borregales, and Kiper has said that Borregales has a legitimate NFL leg.
When asked if he expects to draft a kicker this year, DeCosta said he doesn't want to pigeonhole himself.
"When I do that, I usually end up being disappointed," DeCosta said. "You create a false expectation in your mind and you start to think about need. I like to go into that draft just like a wide-open highway with no cars on the road. I could drive as fast as I want straight down the road unencumbered and not worry about just driving, turn the music up and just draft and pick the best players."
Tucker is the longest tenured player on the Ravens roster and the only player remaining from their 2012 Super Bowl championship team. According to ESPN Research, only three players have been with their current teams longer: Carolina Panthers long-snapper JJ Jansen (16 seasons), New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan (14) and Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward (14).
Now, Tucker's future with the Ravens is in limbo. Since the season ended in January, the massage therapists have accused Tucker of sexually inappropriate behavior.
If Baltimore parts ways with Tucker, it would likely come with a post-June 1 designation, which would free up $4.2 million in salary cap savings this year. He signed a four-year, $24 million contract in 2022.
At last month's annual league meeting, Ravens president Sashi Brown said the team will wait until the NFL's investigation is finished before determining Tucker's future.
"From our standpoint, I think we want to make sure that we have a great understanding of the facts, an actual understanding of the facts, hear both sides of the situation and that we allow the investigation to properly be conducted and concluded, and make decisions based on the full information," Brown told local reporters.
"We would love for this to happen a lot faster than it does," Brown added. "So, from our standpoint, we need to allow the investigation [to] conclude. The NFL understands the urgency that surrounds these types of situations and allegations, and so we need to allow them time. I don't think they're going to take as long as possible, but we certainly know that they're working prudently and to try to get to what is a number of people who need to provide evidence before they come back to us. And they have been making progress, we know that."