The Atlanta Falcons are making a change at kicker, officially releasing veteran Nick Folk and signing Jake Moody off the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz. Moody will be added to Atlanta's 53-man roster and is expected to take over kicking right away.

The move comes after another disappointing performance from Folk in Sunday's 34-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The veteran kicker missed a 38-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, adding to a growing list of struggles that ultimately cost him his job in Atlanta.

Moody, meanwhile, is coming off a successful appearance for Baltimore. He connected on a 53-yard field goal against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday, showing the leg strength Atlanta hopes to add to its special teams unit.

Nick Folk's struggles force Falcons to make a change

Folk entered the season with an impressive track record. He had been the NFL's most accurate kicker in each of the previous three seasons, missing just one field goal in each campaign. However, that consistency did not carry over to Atlanta.

His struggles became increasingly difficult to overlook over the past two weeks.

Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 9, Folk missed a 53-yard field goal in Atlanta's 16-0 shutout loss. He followed that performance by missing a 38-yard attempt against Cincinnati, his first missed field goal from inside 40 yards in a regular-season game since 2017.

The miss against the Bengals snapped a streak of 107 consecutive successful field goals from that distance.

Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski addressed Folk's struggles following Sunday's loss and offered a noticeably different response than he had in previous weeks.

"I'm very focused on this game," Stefanski said. "Obviously, I expect Nick to make his kicks. Nick expects to make his kicks, but really just focused on this game."

When asked whether he was concerned about Folk's performance, Stefanski added:

"He knows we're counting on him, and that's the nature of being a guy that you're counting on. But he's a pro."

Those comments represented a shift from the confidence Stefanski previously expressed in his veteran kicker. After Folk's missed 53-yarder against Tampa Bay, Stefanski said he was very confident in his abilities and would not think twice about putting him on the field.

That confidence ultimately did not prevent Atlanta from exploring other options. The Falcons have now decided to move on from Folk entirely.

What Jake Moody brings to Atlanta

Moody gives the Falcons a younger option with starting experience and the ability to connect on longer field goals.

The 26-year-old was originally selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He spent time with San Francisco and Washington before joining Baltimore's practice squad.

Moody most recently appeared for the Ravens against the Jacksonville Jaguars on November 5. He connected on his lone field-goal attempt, a 53-yarder, and converted his only extra-point attempt.

For his NFL career, Moody has converted 65 of 83 field-goal attempts, a 78.3 percent success rate. He also has experience making kicks from beyond 50 yards, including a career-long 57-yard field goal.

The Falcons are hoping Moody can provide more consistency at a position that has become an unexpected problem this season.

Atlanta has dealt with several issues throughout its disappointing campaign, and missed kicks have only added to the frustration. With Folk unable to deliver the reliability the organization expected, the Falcons have decided it is time for a different direction.

Moody now gets an opportunity to establish himself as Atlanta's kicker moving forward, while Folk will look for his next opportunity after his release.