Patriots Put Starter on Chopping Block by Signing Competition in Week 15

After having a bye last week, the New England Patriots are back on the practice field this week as they prepare for their road contest against the Arizona Cardinals. The Patriots will look to snap their three-game winning streak after losing to the Indianapolis Colts by a point in Week 13.

New England had a chance to win the game at the end, but kicker Joey Slye missed a 68-yard field goal, which is hard to make. That said, Slye has struggled this season. He’s only made 78.6 percent of his field goals (22-of-28), ranking him 27th in field goal percentage in the NFL.

Meanwhile, Chad Ryland, who he beat out for the Patriots’ starting kicker job this summer, has made 82.6 percent of his field goals (19-of-23) with the Cardinals.

Nevertheless, the Patriots are bringing in some competition to see if Slye can turn it around for the rest of this season.

Patriots News: New England to Sign John Parker Romo to Practice Squad

On Tuesday, Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reported that the Patriots are expected to sign John Parker Romo to the practice squad after he cleared waivers on Monday. The Minnesota Vikings signed Romo on Nov. 6 for an injured Will Reichard.

The former XFL kicker played well in his four-game stint with the Vikings. Romo made 11-of-12 field goals (91.7 percent), including 4-of-5 from 40-49 yards. He was also 7-of-8 on extra points (87.5 percent).

Given that Romo has already shown he can kick at this level, it won’t take much for the Pats to cut Slye if he continues to struggle. The 28-year-old Slye has only made 3-of-5 field goals from 40-49 yards and 4-of-6 from 50-plus yards.

Sunday’s game against the Cardinals could have a lot of scoring as indicated by DraftKings Sportsbook (O/U of 46 points on the total). Therefore, Slye will have a few opportunities to put points on the board.

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