Kicker Chad Ryland was looked at as a New England Patriots draft bust after a disastrous rookie season.
But that now looks like a premature notion.
Ryland continued to step up in the clutch for the Arizona Cardinals as he drilled his second game-winning, walk-off field goal in as many weeks on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. The 25-year-old drilled a 34-yard field goal to put the finishing touches on a 28-27 come-from-behind win for the Cardinals at Hard Rock Stadium.
Ryland’s leg also was the difference in Arizona’s Week 7 win over the Los Angeles Chargers as he converted a 32-yard field goal as time expired. And if that wasn’t enough, Ryland kicked the game-winning field goal with 1:37 left in his debut with the Cardinals in a Week 5 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
Story continues below advertisement
Ryland, who was selected by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2023 Draft, struggled in his only season with New England. He converted just 16-of-25 field goal attempts, but flashed a little bit of clutch gene when he delivered a last second, game-winning 56-yard field goal against the Denver Broncos on Christmas Eve.
The Maryland product also shrunk in those high-pressure situations during his time with the Patriots, including missing a game-tying 35-yard field goal against the New York Giants.
The Patriots decided to move on from Ryland after he lost the preseason kicking competition to Joey Slye. Ryland didn’t start the season on an NFL roster, but signed to the Cardinals practice squad in early October. He made his way onto the active roster permanently two weeks later after Matt Prater landed on injured reserve.
The Patriots probably aren’t regretting their decision to hand their kicking duties over to Slye, who has been solid. But they might have gave up on Ryland a little too quickly.
Story continues below advertisement
Featured image via Jim Rassol/Imagn Images
