3. Chad Ryland, K
NFL training camps are all about position battles and one of the biggest competitions in New England involves their kickers.
Chad Ryland — a 2023 fourth-round pick — is coming off a disappointing rookie performance. Some Patriots fans weren't thrilled with the former Maryland kicker's Day 2 selection and those doubters were validated when Ryland finished the season with a 64.0% field-goal percentage on 25 attempts. Even worse is that he went just 7-for-14 (50.0%) on attempts beyond the 40-yard line.
So, what did the Patriots do in an attempt to motivate Ryland? They signed veteran K Joey Slye to a one-year contract earlier this offseason. The 28-year-old special teamer has played 78 games for four franchises across five seasons, tallying an 82.3 FG% and 88.5% extra-point success rate along the way.
Although a lot of people expect the job to go to Ryland, Slye made the competition interesting by outplaying the former during June's workouts. It seemed as if that was enough to give a kick in the pants to Ryland, who has since outperformed his veteran counterpart throughout the early training camp practices.
End-of-practice FG competition in full-team drill (attempts between 32 and 52 yards, with one hurry-up situation):
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) August 2, 2024
🏈🦶Chad Ryland: 5 of 5
🏈🦶 Joey Slye: 4 of 5 (miss from 48/wide right)
To date in full-team drills: Ryland 17 of 18; Slye 14 of 18
With a strong showing against the Panthers, Ryland could convince the Patriots to roll with him and kick Slye to the curb. However, if his weaknesses resurface and he misses crucial kicks again, the franchise might be inclined to extend the kicking competition.