Joshua Karty’s search for a new NFL home tightens as preseason window shrinks

Joshua Karty is running out of time to extend his NFL career, and the problem is not only performance. It is the calendar. With NFL teams narrowing preseason competition before regular-season rosters lock, the former Los Angeles Rams kicker is still searching for a home ahead of Week 2 of the preseason, according to Yahoo Sports. Karty’s situation has been made more difficult since the Rams cut him last season, leaving him to wait for an opening elsewhere rather than control the timeline himself.

For kickers, opportunities often come in waves. Teams can move quickly if a battle at the position goes sideways, or if a short-term need appears due to form, timing, or depth concerns during camp. But those windows are narrower than they are for many other positions because kicking tends to be managed with fewer reps and clearer performance markers. That reality adds pressure to any veteran on the outside looking in, especially one who is already coming off a release.

The most direct path for a veteran kicker is usually a team that is trying to settle its kicking group in the preseason. In Karty’s case, Tennessee is being discussed as a potential option. The Yahoo Sports report frames the Titans as a destination that could make sense if their kicking situation “goes south” this preseason, suggesting a scenario where a team’s internal evaluation does not produce the stability it wants before the regular season.

Tennessee’s relevance to Karty is also tied to what NFL franchises typically value from kickers at this stage: reliability under camp pressure and an ability to make games easier during the stretch where other units are still finding rhythm. Preseason kicking competitions can reveal much faster than other roles whether a team’s confidence is sustainable, and that can determine whether a veteran who has been cut needs to keep waiting or can be added to a roster that needs reassurance.

Karty, once a member of the Rams, now represents the kind of veteran contingency that can be attractive when a team needs immediate experience rather than a long development curve. However, the report emphasizes that Karty’s options have been limited since Los Angeles cut him. That detail matters because it implies a market where teams are not simply stocking kickers out of caution. Instead, they tend to recruit or retain based on a defined competition plan, and when that plan changes quickly, the players available tend to be the first line of emergency replacements.

None of this guarantees a move to Tennessee, and it is important to separate preference from certainty. The Titans connection, as presented, is conditional. The story is not that Karty has agreed to a deal, announced a visit, or been formally signed based on confirmed transaction reporting. It is that Tennessee is described as a possible “last best option” if the Titans encounter problems with their kicking group during the preseason.

What to watch next is straightforward and short-cycle. If Tennessee’s kicking situation produces instability during preseason work, the team could look outward for immediate answers, which would naturally bring a player like Karty into focus. Conversely, if Tennessee’s internal competition stays on track, Karty may have to keep searching until another team’s preseason evaluation creates a vacancy. Either way, the preseason is likely to decide how quickly his next NFL chapter can begin.

For Karty personally, the stakes are unusually immediate. Repeated waiting after a cut can turn a career into a series of near-misses, because NFL teams are often unwilling to carry uncertainty into the regular-season environment. If the league offers him a chance, it will likely be a product of timing, need, and performance in the weeks ahead, not sentiment.