Which NFL Teams Are Most Affected by the New PAT Rule Change?

Kickers aren't real football players. 

OK. These specialists hold a spot on the 53-man active roster like any other position, but they aren't making tackles—unless they're the Indianapolis Colts' Pat McAfee during a kickoff. They're not completing passes or running for touchdowns. Because of the position's lack of physical confrontations, kickers simply aren't viewed in the same vein as other players on the team. 

Yet the position holds an inordinate amount of influence. This will only increase with the unveiling of the new extra-point alignment. Some teams will benefit, while others might struggle to make the adjustment. 

On Tuesday, NFL owners voted in favor of pushing extra points to the 15-yard line, which is 13 yards beyond the traditional spot. Instead of a short 20-yard kick, NFL officials wanted to infuse some excitement into the routine play by adding more room for error, which has created a philosophical rift. 

SiriusXM NFL Radio's Ross Tucker noted:

There's more to this rule change than an added emphasis on the kicking game and trying to make the routine unpredictable. There were also concerns about player safety.

"Don't like [the rule change]," Jay Feely, a veteran kicker, told the Arizona Republic's Bob McManaman. "Sixty or so more plays that offensive linemen can be injured because they are in a precarious position and defenses will undoubtedly rush harder from the 15 with the ability to score."

All of those concerns aside, the NFL will move forward with the change this fall, and every special teams unit around the league must adjust. 

The actual conversion rate over the past decade or more varies, as kickers continued to hone their craft to become highly accurate. Last season, though, there was a significant difference between extra-point conversion rate and kicks made between 30 and 39 yards.

Kick	Made	Attempted	Percentage
Extra Points	1,222	1,230	99.3
Field Goals (30-39 yards)	262	302	86.8

Kicks beyond 33 yards obviously skews the latter number, but teams will almost certainly feel a difference when trying to covert an extra point in the future.

"Over the past 10 seasons, the conversion rate for kicks of that distance [33 yards] is 91.6 percent," ESPN's Kevin Seifert wrote. "That figure rose to 94.4 percent during the past three years and was 96.7 percent in 2014."

ESPN provided a graphic to let the numbers sink in a little more: 

Seifert added: "At 97.6 percent accuracy, we would have seen 1,200 of 1,230 extra points converted. Instead of eight misses, there would have been 30." 

A 22-point differential is relatively high, considering there were 11 games decided by one point or fewer last season—the Cincinnati Bengals tied the Carolina Panthers in Week 6. Each of those games could have swung in the opposition's favor with a missed extra point or two, and this is where teams will see the hidden value of a kicker increase in the coming years. 

Most teams won't be drastically affected by the rule change, but not all organizations have a reliable option at kicker. 

"I think it'll add value to the position," John Carney told Sporting News' Tadd Haislop. "Initially, I don't think the kickers are really fond of this change, but I think it will certainly highlight a number of kickers across the league who can make a high percentage. It takes some more focus, some more preparation on the kicker's part now."

Reliability, of course, remains the No. 1 factor in determining a kicker's worth, but certain situations might dictate more from kickers than others. Two teams in particular could initially struggle with the rule change because of uncertainty on special teams. 

New Orleans Saints

As every rabid fan of professional sports knows, the NFL stands for "Not For Long." It's generally not a cliche for kickers, who are the league's version of nomads. The plight of former Saints kicker Shayne Graham only reinforced the sentiment.

The 15-year veteran signed a new one-year deal with the Saints in February, and a few months later, the organization released him. A day prior to his cutting, Graham told NOLA.com's Katherine Terrell, "All I can do is take care of myself. ... All I can do is perform my best, try to protect myself and win the job."

The veteran wasn't awful in 2014. Graham converted 19-of-22 field goals, and his conversion rate of 86.4 percent tied for 11th best last season. All three of his misses came from over 40 yards, though. Graham was always a solid option, but his days as an All-Pro performer were long behind him. 

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis is now evaluating younger options on the roster. 

Reinhold Matay/Associated Press

Dustin Hopkins and Zach Hocker will compete for the job. Both were talented enough coming into the league to warrant draft selections, which is a rarity for kickers. Hopkins, a first-team All-American from Florida State, was originally selected by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round of the 2013 draft. Arkansas' Hocker, meanwhile, heard his named called by the Washington Redskins in the seventh round of the 2014 class.

Neither has attempted a field goal at this point in his professional career. The Saints are hoping one can become a long-term option, but until then, they're nothing but unproven commodities.

Cleveland Browns

Being asked to perform in a dome is far different than being tasked with regularly kicking in adverse conditions. Cleveland isn't New Orleans on many levels, but a kicker's life is much harder when dealing with the weather conditions presented by FirstEnergy Stadium's location on the shores of Lake Erie.

Phil Dawson's mastery of Cleveland's weather once made him the best in the business. The team decided to let Dawson walk during free agency two years ago and have yet to adequately replace the organization's all-time leading scorer.

Dawson provided a unique perspective on the league's new extra-point stance: 

Upon Dawson's departure, Billy Cundiff took over kicking responsibilities for the Browns. Everything fell apart for the Drake product, who missed seven field goals, including a league-high three between 30 and 39 yards, last year.

During one stretch, Cundiff missed a field goal in five straight games, and his 75.9 percent conversion rate ranked 30th overall. As a result, the 13-year veteran agreed to an injury settlement and was released by the team Dec. 13.

Garrett Hartley was then signed to kick for the final two games of the season. The former Saints kicker was believed to be the favorite to win the job this fall, but the team released him May 11, meaning an open competition will ensue. 

Another pair of upstarts will be given an opportunity in Cleveland. 

Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports

Travis Coons and Carey "Murderleg" Spear remain on the roster. As rookies last year, neither was on a roster during the regular season, and each will be receiving his first real opportunity to earn a "starting" position.

Coons served as the Washington Huskies kicker for two seasons and finished 24-of-30 in field-goal attempts, while Spear was a three-time captain during his career with the Vanderbilt Commodores and has converted 39-of-50 career field-goal attempts. 

The competition already began during the team's rookie minicamp. 

“Hopefully someone takes the lead,” Browns special teams coordinator Chris Tabor told the Akron Beacon Journal's Nate Ulrich. “And then when they do, they’ll be our guy.”

A year ago, three true rookie kickers—Philadelphia Eagles' Cody Parkey, Arizona Cardinals' Chandler Catanzaro and Kansas City Chiefs' Cairo Santos—stepped in and took over permanent kicking jobs for their respective teams.

While Coons and Spear already went through training camp with other teams last year, the Browns are also trying to strike gold with young options. 

Perseverance, Persistence from Place-Kickers

Those teams in search of kicker upgrades picked the wrong offseason to do so. 

The top two options in free agency—the New England Patriots' Stephen Gostkowski and Baltimore Ravens' Justin Tucker—either received the franchise tag or was a restricted free agent. 

Plus, no talent at the position warranted a draft pick this year. The last time that occurred was in 2010.

Teams such as the Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Tennessee Titans and Washington Redskins remained content re-singing their veteran options if they weren't under contract entering the offseason.

In hindsight, those moves appear prudent. 

The Browns and Saints, meanwhile, have absolutely no clue what to expect from their unproven kickers this fall.

However, this is a long-term adjustment. 

No matter who is kicking for any of these teams, the specialists will be expected to improve in the coming years, whether they're a veteran with years of experience or a young kicker trying to find his way. 

FiveThirtyEight's Nate Silver provided a metric that showed the NFL's previous extra-point improvement and projected growth over the next five years even after the rule change: 

Whether the league's current kickers actually agree with change is moot—they still have a job to do. 

The better they become at doing their job, the more valuable they'll be around the league. 

Maybe, they'll even earn the status of being real football players.

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL draft for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @brentsobleski.