Raiders' Eddy Pineiro: Frontrunner in kicker job battle

Pineiro is one step closer to becoming the Raiders' starting kicker after the team waived Giorgio Tavecchio on Friday, Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Pineiro entered camp as the favorite after receiving a handsome $25,000 signing bonus as an undrafted free agent. He then impressed enough in camp to become the frontrunner for the job before Oakland's first preseason game, although it's worth noting that veteran Mike Nugent has just been brought in as competition. It's easy to see why the Raiders are intrigued by the 22-year-old's potential -- during Pineiro's final two seasons at the University of Florida, he knocked home 29 of 30 field-goal attempts (94.4 percent) and completed all five tries over 50 yards.