Patriots Cut 2023 Starter in Surprise Move on Roster Deadline Day
The New England Patriots have been one of the most active teams this offseason. That came with the territory of having a new head coach and new general manager. This is the first year of the rebuild so there will be a lot of moving parts.
The Patriots have until 4 p.m. ET on Aug. 27 to get the roster down to 53 players and they decided to part ways with a starter from the 2023 campaign.
Patriots are releasing kicker Chad Ryland, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 27, 2024
Patriots News: Chad Ryland Is Released by New England
Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Patriots let go of kicker Chad Ryland. The Patriots had a kicking competition happening this summer between Ryland and Joey Slye.
Slye joined the Patriots in May and brings some NFL experience to the table.
Last season as a rookie, Ryland went 16-of-25 on field goal attempts, including 5-of-10 from 40-49 yards away. His struggles on the field played a big role in the Patriots landing Drake Maye. Back on Nov. 26 against the New York Giants, Ryland missed a 35-yard field goal and the Giants came out with a 10-7 win. That loss played a major factor in the draft order as the Pats secured the third overall pick.
As for Slye, he's gone 121-of-147 on field goal attempts and 138-of-156 on extra point attempts.
The Patriots have a lot of moving parts along the team and felt like Slye was the best option at kicker.
In regard to Ryland, he was selected in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft but New England decided to cut their losses just one year later.
More Patriots news and rumors:
feed