The New England Patriots are reportedly adding depth to the kicker position.
The Patriots are signing veteran kicker Matthew Wright to the practice squad, according to the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed.
Wright, 27, has appeared in 23 games in his NFL career, playing for the Steelers, Jaguars, and Cheifs before signing to the Falcons practice squad last week. The Central Florida product has a 87% field-goal success rate in his three year NFL caree. In addition, Wright has made 35 of 37 extra-point attempts. Last season, the kicker was a perfect 2/2 from beyond 50 yards, including making a 59-yarder.
The move comes after rookie Chad Ryland shanked a late game-tying 35-yard field goal in Week 12.
“I missed that kick,” Ryland told the media after Sunday’s game. “There’s no easy way around it. There’s no soft way around it. I missed the kick. I completely own that and take responsibility for that every day of the week. Protection was good. Snap was good. The hold was good. I’ve got to do a better job of making that kick.”
On Tuesday, the Patriots decided to host a kicker tryout and had five free-agent kickers in for a visit. According to a source familiar with the situation, none of those five kickers signed with the Patriots yesterday.
Ryland ranks second to last among qualified NFL kickers with a 66.7% field-goal success rate this year. The former fourth-round draft was an intriguing prospect out of Maryland, but the rookie has missed a 35-yard field goal in consecutive weeks.
“Chad is a very talented player,” head coach Bill Belichick said when asked about Ryland’s roster spot on The Greg Hill Show.” “[However] this is two weeks in a row that we basically missed extra points. It’s not good enough.”
Chad Ryland is 12-18 on field goals and 14-14 on extra points this season. He’s 1-3 from 50+ yards.
The Patriots might have a mid-season kicker competition if Chad Ryland doesn’t consistently improve.
My name is Ben Belford-Peltzman and I am the creator and writer of The Patriots Beat. I am a 17-year kid who is an optimistic pessimist about the City of Champions. I started The Patriots Beat in August of 2022 and never expected to grow so much but here we are. Feel free to email Thepatriotsbeat@gmail.com with any inquires.
