The Houston Texans didn’t think twice about moving on from kicker Joey Slye after finding out that starter Ka’imi Fairbairn is fit to return in Week 4. The Texans officially waived Slye on Thursday.
Slye started the season on the Texans’ practice squad but surprisingly got a chance to start when Fairbairn landed on the injured reserve list in early September with a pulled groin muscle. The 25-year-old player performed well when called upon, making four of five field goals attempted and connecting on seven of eight extra-point attempts.
Still, the Texans didn’t want to drag out Fiarbairn’s return, especially since they believe the 27-year-old player is completely healthy now.
“I don’t think you’re going to put a player out there that can’t perform to the best of his abilities on any phases or role being asked,” special teams coordinator Frank Ross said of Fairbairn on Thursday.
It shouldn’t take long before Joey Slye finds a new landing spot in the NFL. If unclaimed, he should get an opportunity to be part of another practice squad as several teams experienced issues on kicker position in recent weeks. It also wouldn’t be surprising if the 25-year-old player returns to the Texans’ practice squad again.
Before joining the Texans, Slye served as the Carolina Panthers’ starting kicker for two seasons. He has 79.5 percent FG conversion in his career while also being 89.9 on extra points.
