Chad Ryland released by Patriots, as Joey Slye wins kicker competition in New England
FOXBORO -- The New England Patriots are reportedly releasing second-year kicker Chad Ryland, moving on from one of Bill Belichick's last draft picks with the team. Ryland's release was one of the many moves made by New England to trim the roster to 53 players by the NFL's 4 pm deadline.
The Patriots traded up to draft Ryland at 112th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, making him the second kicker to come off the board. The Maryland product had a booming leg in college and that carried over to the NFL, but he struggled with consistency during his rookie season with the Patriots.
Ryland connected on just 64 percent of his field goal attempts last season, which ranked last among NFL kickers. He was just 16-for-25 overall, including 10-for-17 on kicks between 30 and 49 yards.
At least he missed a potential game-tying kick in a Week 11 loss to the Giants that essentially secured the 2024 third overall pick for the Patriots, which in turn landed the team Drake Maye in the NFL Draft. Ryland did have a signature moment last season, when he connected on a career-long 56-yard field goal with two seconds left to lead the Patriots to a win over the Denver Broncos on Christmas Eve.
The team brought in veteran Joey Slye to compete with Ryland this summer, and though it took some time to separate from Ryland, Slye won the competition in the end. Slye hit just 79.2 percent of his kicks last season, going 19-for-24 for Washington, but he did set a new career-high with a 61-yard field goal for the Commanders. He was 44-for-54 over the last two seasons for Washington, and has connected on 121 of his 147 field goal attempts (82.3 percent) for his five-year career.