Patriots reportedly trading kicker Nick Folk to Titans

FOXBORO -- Another position battle on the Patriots roster has been won by a rookie. New England has reportedly traded veteran kicker Nick Folk to the Tennessee Titans, leaving Chad Ryland as the team's starter heading into the 2023 season.

Folk's trade to Tennessee was first reported by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. New England is receiving a 2025 seventh-round pick in return, according to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network.

The Patriots had been looking to trade Folk on the NFL's cutdown day rather than release the veteran.

Going with Ryland over Folk shouldn't come as a big surprise, as the Patriots not only drafted Ryland in the fourth round -- 112th overall -- in this year's draft but traded up (with the New York Jets, of all teams!) to do so. They clearly liked the booming leg that Ryland displayed over his college career split between Eastern Michigan and Maryland, and what the 23-year-old showed throughout training camp.

But Folk had been pretty automatic for the Patriots over the last four seasons. Since joining the team midway through the 2019 campaign, the veteran kicker was a perfect 60-for-60 on kicks inside 40 yards.

His lack of power was the lone drawback with Folk, as he was 36-for-44 from the 40-49-yard range and 12-for-17 on 50-plus-yard kicks. It also left the Patriots relying on either their punter or, like last season, kickoff specialist Tristan Vizcaino to handle kickoff duties. 

Folk had 33 kickoffs during the 2022 season, which resulted in a touchback just 9.1 percent of the time,  and lost power as the season progressed. He just cannot handle kickoffs and his field goal and extra point chores at the age of 38.

So the Patriots are going younger at kicker and turning to Ryland, who was 3-for-3 on his extra-point attempts but did not attempt a single field goal during the preseason. Folk, meanwhile, will kick on with the Titans.