The Patriots are keeping all options on the table as they decide their kicker competition for the 2023 season.
Rookie fourth-round pick Chad Ryland is in a heated battle with veteran Nick Folk. Ryland, 23, has the bigger leg and more potential, while Folk, 38, has remained a steady and consistent presence. The Patriots kicked just one field goal during the preseason, a 44-yarder knocked through by Folk. Both Folk and Ryland each made two extra points.
“Very competitive,” head coach Bill Belichick said Saturday morning on a video conference call before incorrectly stating that the Patriots didn’t kick a field goal during the preseason. “We’ve had plenty of them in practice, and that’s what we have to go off of. They’ve both had really good camps, so that’s a pretty tight competition. Same thing with the punter situation; Corliss [Waitman] had two huge punts last night, one out of the end zone, so we’ll see how that goes. It looks like we’ve got a very good competition at both of those spots.”
Belichick said that “generally speaking,” the Patriots would kick more field goals during the course of three games, but “it didn’t (work out), so it is what it is. Nothing we can do about that.”
The special-teams-minded head coach did entertain the possibility that the Patriots could keep both kickers on their 53-man roster.
“Yeah, we had two kickers last year on the roster for one game,” Belichick said. “Again, there’s a number of things to consider when you look at the whole roster makeup. We’ll get into those this weekend and do what we feel is best for the team. That’s all I can tell you.”
Folk, who’s been with the Patriots since 2019, would not need to clear waivers since he’s a vested veteran. That means the Patriots could cut him and then bring him back to their 53-man roster (after placing another player on injured reserve) or practice squad. But a team like the Dallas Cowboys, who have had kicking issues this summer, could scoop him up when available. Folk was originally drafted by the Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft.
The Patriots already have difficult decisions to make in trimming their roster to 53 players. Rostering two kickers would cause even more headaches but potentially give Belichick peace of mind with insurance at a key position.
As Belichick noted, the Patriots also must decide whether to keep Waitman or rookie Bryce Baringer at punter.
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