Despite their 5-1 record, the Kansas City Chiefs have experienced their fair share of issues throughout the 2026-27 season thus far. Getting consistent play out of the special teams unit, particularly regarding kicker Harrison Butker, is at or near the top of the list.

Following another rough outing for the club's longtime star kicker, Kansas City is bringing in another one to light a fire under Butker. It just so happens to be someone whose resume and track record blow Butker's out of the water.

First reported by Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star on Wednesday morning, the Chiefs are bringing in former Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker on a practice squad basis.

The Chiefs are signing kicker Justin Tucker to the practice squad, a source tells The Star.

— Sam McDowell (@SamMcDowell11) October 28, 2026

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network and ESPN reports that the Chiefs also worked out two other kickers, including former Los Angeles Rams man Harrison Mevis.

Speaking to the media following Sunday's 20-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, a game in which he went 1-for-3 on field goals, Butker tipped his cap to special teams coordinator Dave Toub for having his back through some recent struggles.

"I appreciate it," Butker said. "He definitely supports me. I'm in my 10th season here. I'm very thankful to have been with him for such a long time. He's my biggest supporter and always pushing me to do my best. Every kick matters, every day at practice, every game. I've got to be better."

Butker stated his pre-game warmup leading up to Sunday Night Football "wasn't great," although he couldn't pinpoint one specific thing that led to him missing his kicks.

Harrison Butker (Kansas City) ranks dead last in field goal pts over expected at -7.69, behind Trey Smack -7.28 (Green Bay) & Harrison Mevis -6.87 (Free Agent)

Leaders: Will Reichard +9.47 (Minnesota), Chase McLaughlin +8.78 (Tampa Bay) & Ka'imi Fairbairn +8.56 (Houston) https://t.co/zIndx0hYoV

— Arif Hasan, but NFL 🏈 (@ArifHasanNFL) October 26, 2026

Tucker, a seven-time Pro Bowler and career 89.1% kicker on field goals, trails only Los Angeles Chargers standout Cameron Dicker (92.6%) as the most accurate player ever. Still, the move isn't necessarily as clear-cut in value as it appears on the surface.

Chiefs' Justin Tucker signing comes with its own set of question marks

First and foremost, it's been two seasons since Tucker's even kicked in an NFL game. He was suspended 10 weeks during the 2025 offseason following allegations of sexual misconduct, deemed a violation of the NFL's personal conduct policy. That followed Tucker being released by the Ravens, the only other NFL franchise he's ever known, on May 5 of the same year.

The veteran was reinstated on November 11, only to remain unsigned for nearly a full calendar year thereafter. Tucker did get brought in for tryouts with the New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets during that window.

Off-the-field developments aside, the Tucker signing comes with plenty of additional questions to answer. He's now several years removed from his last Pro Bowl campaign in 2023, and he left a trail of poor results on his way out of Baltimore. Kicking in all 17 regular-season games in 2024, he converted on just 22 of 30 field goal attempts, good for a 73.3% mark.

That includes a 6-of-11 ledger from 50-plus yards, which has been an issue for Butker lately as well.

Can someone who turns 37 in a matter of weeks, hasn't played in a game in 21 months and wasn't good the last time we saw him provide enough for the move to be worth it? That all remains to be seen.

At the least, it's a message to Butker that he must improve his level of play. Otherwise, his Chiefs tenure could be on ice.