The New York Jets are looking forward to a little competition at kicker this year after signing nine-year NFL veteran Josh Brown, special teams coach Mike Westhoff told the New York Daily News on Tuesday.
Last season, Nick Folk beat out Nick Novak for the starting job in the preseason, but Westhoff believes this year's competition will be "at least as competitive if not more."
"I want to create the most competitive atmosphere that I possibly can," Westhoff said. "Josh Brown is the best candidate to do that with. We want to have a viable battle here to see who's going to win our job and to get the best possible guy that we can put on the field."
Folk, a five-year NFL veteran, made 19 of his 25 field-goal attempts last season. Folk has made 113 of 145 field-goal attempts in his career.
Brown was released by the St. Louis Rams on May 1 after making 21 of 28 field goal attempts last season. But Brown has hit at a clip better than 80 percent in his career, connecting on 220 of 272 attempts.
"Sometimes you just go through some ups and downs," Westhoff said of Brown. "He had a lot of really good years. He fell off a little. I spent a lot of time talking to him about it. I have a very good handle on some of the things that took place and why he wasn't as efficient as he had been. Just issues ... a culmination of things. I feel very confident that that's not a big deal at all."
