The one constant in the NFL is change, and no one knows that better than kickers, who often find themselves attached to a short leash, even those that have proven themselves time and time again.

Jason Elam found that out the hard way from Atlanta earlier today, as he was released by the Falcons in favor of Matt Bryant, who formerly kicked for Tampa Bay and has a career long field goal of 62 yards to his credit. Elam had been struggling throughout much of the season with his consistency, and combined with his poor kickoff distance, the decision to cut him loose was a relatively easy one for Atlanta.

We previously reported on a potential move by the Falcons to find a new kicker early last month.

Bryant seemingly owned the city of Tampa Bay three seasons ago, when he shocked most of the league with his 62 yarder to win a key game against the Eagles as time expired, but much like Elam, he fell out of favor earlier this season after missing several crucial kicks. That said, his career field goal percentage is very good at 82.1% and there is little doubt he still has what it takes to be successful in the NFL, so the move makes sense on a number of levels.

Given Elam’s track record, he won’t be out of work for long, but teams may be wary of signing him unless they have a solid option to use on kickoffs.

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