Despite some early-season struggles, the Kansas City Chiefs continue to roll with placekicker Harrison Butker. That may not be the wisest decision, but they clearly still have the utmost confidence in his experienced leg, and there aren't exactly a ton of options to move on from him now that the trade deadline has passed.
The controversial kicker has managed to make it to Week 10, and his play has improved to a resounding 5-of-5 on field-goal attempts in his last four outings. The coaching staff has had his back and said all the right things about him and how well he's done in practice. Even so, that hasn't always been reflected in the field, and caution must be exercised moving forward.
Chiefs Aren't in the Clear with Harrison Butker Just Yet
The Chiefs haven't really needed Butker to do much in recent weeks. Even so, special teams coordinator Dave Toubs claims to like what he's seen from him in practice, according to Chiefs insider Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports:
"'We've got two good games... hopefully we can get this thing right,'" Toub told reporters on Thursday, per Goldman, after Butker allegedly "had his best Wednesday practice of the season" the day before.
That's nice and all, and it's obviously always better to have good practices than not. But it's about time the Chiefs also get to watch that in games, and with Sunday's crucial road divisional matchup vs. the Denver Broncos, they will definitely need his services.
Butker has seemed to turn things around, at least on paper, but context matters. He has only had one attempt of 40-plus yards since Week 5, so it's not like he's been put to the test. If anything, the Chiefs have taken a more aggressive approach to their fourth-down conversions this season, often going for it once they cross midfield. That might prove they're not as confident in him as they claim.
The Chiefs only have two months left on their schedule, meaning the margin for error is pretty close to zero. They should already have several suitable replacements ready in case of an emergency if Butker struggles again, but the trade deadline being finished limits their options.
It's obvious that the Chiefs need Butker to be as close to perfect as possible moving forward. Although Kansas City won't live or die by his leg, there's no room for it to be a concern in the season's second half, and any potential shortcomings could put his future with the franchise in jeopardy.