Competition and position battles have been all the rage at training camp for the Las Vegas Raiders. And naturally, the fanbase's eyes are going to gravitate toward the big-ticket faceoffs, like the ones at quarterback, wide receiver or cornerback. But the kicking battle rages on in Las Vegas.
Veteran Matt Gay, who is uber-connected to the front office and coaching stuff, but whose best days seem to be behind him, is taking on undrafted rookie Kansei Matsuzawa, whose incredible story has endeared him to Raider Nation. Only one player can be the Silver and Black's kicker, though.
And while a limited sample size has indicated that Gay is the frontrunner to make the 53-man roster for the 2026 NFL season, special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis alluded to both kickers sticking around in Las Vegas. That would leave no true losers in this often unsung competition.
Update on Raiders' kicker battle between Matt Gay and Kansei Matsuzawa "The Tokyo Toe"
Before we dive into what has been said about and by these two players, let's review some of the reports about the kicking competition itself. The Athletic's Sam Warren provided an update after a handful of padded practices, and it seems that Gay currently has the edge over Matsuzawa.
"The Raiders have given Gay his chance to prove it; he’s gotten all the first-team kicks through the start of training camp," Warren noted. "He’s made all but one of them so far, missing wide right from 52 yards out but making many more, from as far as 55. Matsuzawa has also looked solid, going perfect besides one doink off the right upright from 40 yards away."
Missing a 52-yarder isn't ideal, obviously, especially at practice. But it beats missing a 40-yarder. Between that fact and Gay getting all of the first-team reps, it seems like Las Vegas has a clear favorite. That said, as everyone involved has preached, this is a true competition.
With long snappers Tyler Duzansky and Alex Ward rotating, and A.J. Cole being the holder for both kickers, what do first and second-team really mean? If one is kicking better than the other, then that player will get the job. There aren't many, if any, external factors at play here for Gay and Matsuzawa.
One thing that is unlikely to be reported on but is also of the utmost importance is how these two are faring with the dynamic kickoff. This NFL rule change has altered the complexion of how teams view their kickers, so that should loom large in the Raiders' ultimate determination as well.
Based on what DeCamillis essentially said without saying it, though, both kickers could stick around in Las Vegas, letting this competition drag on even further.
Raiders may be able to keep both kickers in Las Vegas after training camp battle
DeCamillis, who has quite a few skins on the wall in the NFL but is making his return to professional football after a few years on college sidelines, has seemingly been impressed with Matsuzawa in the early going, but knows that he isn't close to a finished product yet.
"Well, he did a good job of working in the offseason after we left here. He worked with a couple guys down in San Diego, and you can see a little bit more power in his kicks," DeCamillis said. "But he's done a good job so far. We haven't had a lot of live kicks today. ... So, I'm pleased with where he's at, but he's got a lot of work to do left."
Matsuzawa's kicks having increased power strikes as particularly notable, as the knock on him coming out of Hawai'i was that, while he is incredibly accurate, he doesn't have the big leg that most modern NFL teams covet. With a wider range, The Tokyo Toe has a better chance of making the team.
Gay isn't rolling over in the competition, though. DeCamillis has been impressed with the veteran kicker, and he has a prior relationship with him after working together while both were members of the Los Angeles Rams. That trust matters a great deal.
"Yeah, he's been hitting the ball really well. Today, obviously, we had a two-minute, it was a longer field goal. One of my biggest things that I like to say is, 'Closer is better.' We had a lot of penalties in that two-minute period and backed him up, and we didn't hit the ball we needed to hit right there. So, we'd like to get that one over. But other than that, I mean, he's had a great offseason, a great camp so far. We've just got to keep him in the right groove and hopefully get him back to where he was when I had him in LA."
Without reading too much into these comments, Gay seems to carry the higher perception at this moment in time in Las Vegas. And that's fine; he's a veteran, and training camp is long. Results in the preseason will matter a great deal, and either player could still win.
But DeCamillis may have leaked a bit of the Raiders' plans when speaking to the media last week. When asked about what Matsuzawa can do to make the roster, the team's new coordinator hinted at them trying to sneak him through waivers and stashing him on the practice squad as an IPP player.
Matsuzawa, being from Japan, qualifies for the International Player Pathway. That means that the Silver and Black could keep him on the practice squad without taking up one of the 16 allotted spots, so The Tokyo Toe would effectively be a "free" 17th player to have in the building.
"To get a roster spot for Kansei [Matsuzawa], he's in the competition, so he's got to do a great job there. But the great thing about his situation is, in the international part of it, there might be an extra spot for him, depending upon how it is," DeCamillis admitted. "So, hopefully he can show enough, which, knock on wood, I hope he keeps showing what he's showing right now. And hopefully, we get a chance to keep him at the end of camp, which would be great."
The phrasing there is what I am trying not to read too much into, but I simply can't help myself from doing so. The easiest way for the Raiders to "get a chance to keep" Matsuzawa is not putting him on the waiver wire at all. But it seems like that is where DeCamillis' head is at right now.
Hoping that Las Vegas gets to keep Matsuzawa is not really the same thing as preparing for him to be on the 53-man team. But if he sticks around on the practice squad, he would get a chance to develop in the Silver and Black and continue competing until he is ready to take the reins.
That is not a bad situation for Matsuzawa, nor his immense following that he has developed in Raider Nation. And it affords Gay one last opportunity to make something shake in his NFL career after earning a spot with a strong camp. In that sense, this battle could yield no true losers.
Unless, of course, Gay kicks as poorly as he has in recent years, or Matsuzawa doesn't clear waivers and ends up on another NFL roster. That is the risk of waiving the young Hawai'i product and hoping that he lands back in Las Vegas.
Again, though, it is still so, so early. Reports are indicating that Gay is ahead of Matsuzawa, but that could change in an instant. By reading between the lines, it seems like the veteran is ahead of the rookie as well. That, too, can change in an instant.
Kicking is purely about results, and the best kicker for the Raiders will reveal himself here soon. And if that doesn't all come together in a way in which nobody loses, then that is fine. But DeCamillis and Las Vegas certainly aren't ruling out that "have my cake and eat it too" scenario at this juncture yet.
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