New England Patriots have recently been put in a challenging position following the unfortunate game-tying 35-yard field goal miss by their kicker, Chad Ryland.
The miss happened just six seconds before the final whistle in Sunday’s game against the Giants, leading the Patriots to seriously reassess their current kicking lineup.
The miss marked the second week in a row that Ryland failed to make a 35-yard field goal, having previously missed one in the game against the Colts.
As a result, the Patriots’ management and coach, Bill Belichick, decided it was time to look for potential replacements, kicking off an extensive tryout session on Tuesday, predominantly focusing on special teams.
Patriots try out kickers after Chad Ryland's big miss. https://t.co/FAiP0hpk7m
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) November 29, 2023
The Patriots worked out an impressive tally of five kickers: Tanner Brown, Matthew McCrane, B.T. Potter, John Parker Romo, and Parker White.
Besides kickers, the Patriots also worked out three punters. Moreover, they did not only concentrate on the main roles.
The tryout day also included two long snappers and three wide receivers, all experienced in returning kicks.
Commenting on the situation, Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick expressed the need for an improvement within the kicker position while speaking on WEEI.
“Chad’s a very talented player,” Belichick said. “But this is two weeks in a row that we basically missed extra points. It’s not good enough.”
If any kicker from the tryout session was impressive enough to meet Belichick and the management’s criteria, they could be putting on the Patriots’ jersey as soon as Sunday’s game against the Chargers.
