NFL Kickers better than ever

faceman said

That was mostly due to roster sizes. It was 33 in the 50's and 40 from 1964- 74. Teams really couldn't afford to
save a roster spot for a specialist. Starters in that era also played on special teams.

https://www.hogshaven.com/2020/5/4/21245563/a-brief-history-of-roster-sizes-in-the-nfl

Click to expand...

That article is fascinating. Had no idea of the myriad of changes to the roster rules over the years.

I think I started getting interested in the NFL in the late 50s and remember Chuck Bednarik playing C and MLB at a high level, but not so much lots of players playing both offense and defense. So, no wonder more past kickers played other positions than is the case today.