Caleb

Sturgis

This was the only outcome after Sturgis missed another kick and two more extra points against the Seahawks. Mike Badgley filled in while Sturgis was injured earlier this season and will likely be promoted from the practice squad this week.

The Chargers telegraphed the move by waiving Mike Badgley. Sturgis missed Weeks 6 and 7 but got healthy during the Bolts’ Week 8 bye. He will always be in the K1 mix for the Chargers’ high-scoring offense.

Sturgis is not expected to play, especially after replacement Mike Badgley went 6-for-6 on all of his kicks last week against the Browns.

Sturgis is dealing with a strained quad and was left on the active roster. Rookie UDFA Mike Badgley will take over kicking duties for the Chargers on Sunday. Badgley made 79.4% of his career field-goal attempts and was the all-time record at Miami for career field goals (77) and points scored (403).

Considering the team was undone by bad kicking last season, getting the position right is of the utmost importance. Sturgis performed better in practice this week, but he missed a 41-yarder in the preseason opener, a bad sign based on how his coach evaluates the position. “We’ll see how it plays out in games,” Lynn said. “What a player does in games, to me, is what I evaluate the most.” A failed second-round pick by the Bucs, Aguayo has missed nine of his 31 NFL attempts with just four makes on 11 attempts from 40 yards or more.

The first kicker off the board in this year’s draft, Sturgis should be the Dolphins’ Week 1 starter barring a training camp face-plant. Teams rarely invest draft picks in kickers they don’t expect to start. Dan Carpenter and his $2.7 million salary are on the way out.

Sturgis is the heavy favorite because teams don’t draft kickers they’re not planning to keep. Ireland anticipates a “pretty good competition in camp and we look forward to that.” Carpenter went 22-of-27 on field-goal attempts in 2012.

Sturgis is the first kicker to come off the board in the 2013 draft. He made 24-of-28 field goals as a senior last season, nailing 8-of-9 from 40-plus yards out. The Dolphins are officially putting Dan Carpenter on notice. Miami can save $2.7 million against the cap by releasing Carpenter.

Teams almost never draft kickers they don’t intend on keeping. With Carpenter slated to make $2.675 million this season, Sturgis also makes a lot of financial sense. Carpenter’s price tag is just too high for a kicker who missed at least five field goals in each of the last three seasons.

While pricey incumbent Dan Carpenter didn’t attempt a kick in Friday’s preseason game at Jacksonville, Sturgis went 2-of-2 on field goals, including a 58-yarder, and 3-of-3 on extra points. It’s still not a fantasy-relevant situation.