3 positives to take away from disastrous 2023 Chargers season
By Jason Reed
2. The Chargers have finally found their franchise kicker
The kicker is the most underappreciated position in all of sports. If the kicker does his job right nobody ever notices and he is often the last one to receive praise. But the moment that kicker does something wrong they become the sole reason why the team lost. Unfortunately, Chargers fans are very familiar with that situation.
The Chargers have been through the wringer when it comes to finding a reliable kicker but now the team finally has the answer. After putting together a string of impressive games last season, Cameron Dicker has cemented his status as a franchise kicker for the Bolts.
Dicker has been lights out this season, making all 35 of his PATs and 27 of his 29 field goals. One of Dicker's missed field goals, which came in Week 17 against the Denver Broncos, was tipped at the line of scrimmage. Dicker has only missed one kick this season that was truly on him.
The one question around Dicker's game leading into the season was whether or not he could consistently makes kicks from long-range after making just one 50-yard kick in his rookie season (coming in the playoffs). Dicker responded by making seven of his first eight attempts from 50+ before the block in Week 17.
Even more impressive, Dicker has never missed from inside 50 yards (both on field goals and in extra points) in the regular season. He is a combined 100-100 from inside the 50.