When the New England Patriots drafted Chad Ryland, the team was hoping he would be their kicker of the future, but it doesn't look like that will be happening.
According to ESPN.com, the Patriots have decided to cut ties with Ryland after just one year. The former Maryland kicker had a disastrous rookie season, although he did end up leading the team in scoring with 72 points.
The Patriots actually traded UP to get Ryland in the 2023 draft, so the expectations were high when he arrived in Foxboro, but he wasn't able to live up to them. During his lone season with the Patriots, Ryland hit just 64% of his field goal attempts (16 of 25), which ranked dead last in the NFL. Ryland's biggest struggles came from outside 45 yards as he hit just 5 of 11 kicks (45.5%) from beyond that range.
With Ryland struggling, the Patriots decided to bring in veteran Joey Slye to challenge him during training camp. According to 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, Slye outkicked Ryland in camp by hitting nearly 80% of his kicks compared to just 75.9% for Ryland. The biggest difference between the two kickers came from long range with Slye drilling 8 of 9 kicks between 50 and 59 yards while Ryland hit just 3 of 7 from that same distance.
Slye spent the past two-and-a-half seasons in Washington, but the Commanders decided to let him walk in free agency, which is how he made his way to New England. The Patriots will mark the sixth team that Slye has played for in his six-year career. The undrafted free agent spent his first two years in Carolina (2019-20) before playing for three different teams in 2021 (Texans, 49ers and Commanders).
As for Ryland, he now becomes a footnote in team history as the final kicker that Bill Belichick drafted.
