How Chad Ryland Reacted To Patriots Signing New Kicker

FOXBORO, Mass. — The Patriots added a new kicker Wednesday, reportedly signing Matthew Wright to their practice squad.

Chad Ryland wasn’t surprised.

Ryland, who missed what would have been a game-tying field goal in the closing seconds of last week’s 10-7 loss to the New York Giants, offered his thoughts on the signing in a conversation with NESN.com.

“I think the results called for that,” the rookie said. “That’s part of the business. I don’t take that personally. I don’t take that in any other way other than it is what it is, and I’m going to focus on me to be the best that I can be and help us go win on Sunday.”

New England traded up to draft Ryland in the fourth round this past spring, making him the highest-drafted specialist of the Belichick era and tabbing him as the replacement for steady veteran Nick Folk. So far, the results have not been what he or the team wants.

Eleven games in, Ryland has converted just 66.7% of his field goals (12 of 18), the second-worst mark of any qualified NFL kicker. He’s been especially erratic of late, missing a 35-yarder in each of the Patriots’ last two games. Folk, meanwhile, has made 95.7% of his field goals for his new team, the Tennessee Titans.

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The Patriots hosted a handful of kickers for workouts Tuesday before bringing Wright aboard.

“Chad is a very talented player,” head coach Bill Belichick said Monday on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show.” “But this is two weeks in a row that we basically missed extra points. It’s not good enough.”

Asked to pinpoint a reason for his struggles, Ryland replied: “That’s a good question. That’s a really good question.”

“I think really, it just comes down to, it’s a game of inches,” the 24-year-old said. “You strike a football, your window is there,” Ryland said, holding up two fingers about an inch apart. “You miss that a little bit, and the ball doesn’t go where you want it to.

“So I think for me, it’s really just continuing to clean up my ball-striking ability and continuing to work in the right direction to perfect my craft.”

Ryland said he endured a similar slump early in the 2021 season, his last at Eastern Michigan before transferring to Maryland. That year, he missed two field goals in an early-October win over UMass and another two weeks later in a loss to Northern Illinois. Ryland rebounded after the latter and did not miss another kick for the rest of the season.

The Patriots will be hoping for a similar bounce-back over their final six games, but Wright offers a layer of insurance and competition. The 27-year-old journeyman now is on his eighth team, but he’s posted solid numbers in his career, converting 87.0% of his field goals across 23 appearances. Wright, who was cut from Atlanta’s practice squad on Tuesday, also is 6-for-8 from 50-plus yards with a career high of 59.

Wright’s signing did not appear on Wednesday’s official transaction wire, but he was spotted in the locker room. He could make his Patriots practice debut Thursday ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium.