Coming out of spring practices, the New England Patriots kicker position remains a significant question mark for the roster.
Amid so many changes happening with the New England Patriots this offseason, some storylines that may usually get more attention flew under the radar this winter and spring. That includes what is happening at the kicker position.
Last year the Patriots drafted Chad Ryland in the fourth round but he struggled, hitting just 16 of his 25 field goal attempts (64 percent). That included a 10-of-17 mark from 30 to 49 yards. For comparison, Ryland was 32-of-36 from the same range over his final three years in college.
With a new coaching staff (including an entirely overhauled roster of special teams coaches) and new front office, Ryland may not have the same job security as a typical second-year fourth-round pick. The fact the Patriots signed another kicker – Joey Slye – ahead of spring practices only seemed to reinforce that.
In the spring, neither Patriots kicker did much to get ahead on the perceived competition. In ‘live’ field goal drills Ryland was 15-of-19 between OTAs and minicamp but had some very narrow makes including two kicks that sailed directly over the left goalpost.
Meanwhile Slye was 7-of-9, with one of his makes clipping the flag at the top of the goalpost that was blowing in between the uprights at the time. His relative lack of opportunities compared to Ryland may also be a sign the Patriots weren’t expecting him to fully compete for the job (although that could change come training camp).
“I’m certainly looking forward to it,” Ryland said when asked about the competition this spring. “I’m no coward to a challenge and certainly want to continue to grow in my craft and will hopefully grow each year and take each offseason moving forward — for however many years I’m blessed to play — as serious as I did this offseason.”
“His mentality is that it is a new year,” head coach Jerod Mayo told reporters during OTAs. “We always talk about changing the page, we always talked about that the past ten years or whatever, changing the page. I think he has done a good job of that.
Those who read our post-spring roster projection will remember we had the Patriots kicker for Week 1 listed as ‘TBD,’ or a player who is not currently on the roster. Of course, that’s just one option the team can take.
Of course, that’s just one option the team has. Let’s take a look at all the paths the Patriots kicker position could take between now and Week 1…
Let Ryland and Slye fully battle it out this summer
Dec 17, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots place kicker Chad Ryland (37) tries for a field goal during the first half against the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium. Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
This is the simplest path forward. The Patriots could let the kicker battle play out as is through the summer. That could include balancing the reps more evenly between Ryland and Slye, or continuing to test Ryland under pressure by giving him the bulk of the opportunities to win the job.
If the Patriots go this route, it’s important to remember it doesn’t preclude them from making another move. They would always be able to add another kicker if needed during camp or once roster cuts happen (we’ll get into those options next). However, the longer they wait the less options they could have available on the open market, as opposed to adding another kicker before camp starts.
Sign a free agent kicker (with a focus on the UFL)
EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN – OCTOBER 02: Bryce Baringer #99 of the Michigan State Spartans and Matt Coghlin #4 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrate a field goal kick against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers during the third quarter of the game at Spartan Stadium on October 02, 2021 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
The Patriots also may not have been enough of what they were hoping to this spring, and could want to have another kicker on the roster to start camp – either to add to the competition or replace Slye and the competition for Ryland.
If that is the case, the first place they may want to look is the UFL. The latest spring league wrapped up play with its championship this weekend, meaning players on all eight of the league’s eight rosters are now eligible to sign with NFL teams.
While most of the play in the UFL wasn’t at an NFL standard, the kickers in the league were outstanding. Collectively they connected 82.9 percent of their field goals. When taking out San Antonio’s Ryan Santoso – who was a backup signed after starter Donald De La Haye got hurt – the UFL kickers hit on 85 percent of their kicks, matching the NFL average from the last three seasons.
Those loosely following the UFL are probably most familiar with Jake Bates, who drew headlines after hitting multiple 60-plus yard field goals despite only attempting (and missing) one in-game field goal previously in his life (in high school). Bates finished the UFL season 17-of-22, going 7-of-7 from 40-49 yards and 6-of-10 from 50-plus. However Bates signed with the Detroit Lions over the weekend, so he’s not an option (for now, we’ll get to that in a bit).
Still, Bates was far from the only successful kicker in the UFL. Andre Szmyt was the league’s leading scorer connecting on 19 of his 21 field goal attempts including 8-of-10 from 40-plus yards out with a long of 61 yards. The catch with Szmyt is he’s spent most of his career kicking in a dome – he went to college at Syracuse then in the UFL kicked for the St. Louis Battlehawks, who play in the Rams’ old dome. He spent his rookie training camp in 2023 with the Chicago Bears, but didn’t make the team.
Matt Coghlin has emerged as a potential NFL kicker over the last two springs, with the New Orleans Breakers of the USFL in 2023 and then the Memphis Showboats this spring. Coghlin went 18-of-19 in 2023, then this past spring connected on 16 of his 18 kicks, going a perfect 12-of-12 from inside of 50 yards and maxing out at 57 yards. He was a five year starter for Michigan State in college (where he was part of a field goal battery with current Patriots punter Bryce Baringer), before going undrafted in 2022.
The third and final kicker to finish with a field goal percentage of at least 90 this spring was Jonathan Garibay of the Arlington Renegades. He was 13-of-14 but didn’t attempt a kick longer than 48 yards. His lone miss was a 31-yarder that was blocked. After two years as the kicker at Texas Tech Garibay went undrafted in 2022 then spent the summer in camp with the Dallas Cowboys.
Finally there’s Houston’s J.J. Molson, who was 15-of-18 this spring going 6-of-9 from 40-plus with a max of 62 yards. Molson previously had a brief stint with the Green Bay Packers, after going undrafted out of UCLA in 2020.
Of course there are also always NFL street free agents as well, but that market is thin right now. The top unsigned kicker currently is Randy Bullock, who went 5-of-6 in six games with the New York Giants last year.
See which kickers are available on cutdown day
May 21, 2024, Thousand Oaks, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams kicker Tanner Brown (49) during organized team activities at Cal Lutheran University. Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The final option the Patriots have – and this can be done in conjunction with one or both of the above two options – is wait until cutdown day to see what happens with kickers around the league. That’s the next time multiple players at the position will become available.
Last year, the Patriots were on the other side of this one. They had two kickers in camp in Ryland and Nick Folk, then traded Folk to the kicker-needy Titans during roster cuts.
If Ryland, Slye, and any other kicker the Patriots potentially sign struggle during the summer, it will be worth keeping an eye on some of the multi-kicker teams around the NFL to see how their situations are going. 12 teams have at least two kickers on their roster at the moment, while the Lions and Packers have three each (not including kickers who are a part of the International Pathway Program).
The teams to keep an eye on in particular are those like the Patriots last year, who either just drafted a kicker or signed a high-level UDFA at the position. Those teams are the Jaguars (sixth-round pick Cam Little joined Riley Patterson), the Rams (sixth-round pick Joshua Karty joined Tanner Brown), the Vikings (sixth-round pick Will Reichard joined John Parker Romo), Titans (UDFA Brayden Narveson joined Folk), the Panthers (UDFA Harrison Mevis joined Eddy Pineiro), and the Lions (UDFA Jake Bates joined Michael Badgley and James Turner).
Whether it be through a trade or following a release, at least half of the kickers listed above should become available during roster cuts. If the Patriots still need a kicker at that point, the way those battles play out will determine who their options actually are.
Other teams with kicker battles to follow this summer are the Browns, Cardinals, Colts, Jets, and Steelers.
