Patriots finally sign first UDFA and it’s a freaking kicker
By Adam Weinrib
From a sleepover with Jim Harbaugh to a training camp spot with the greatest franchise in NFL history — man, new Patriots kicker Quinn Nordin really has come a long way.
On Wednesday afternoon, he became the first UDFA to join the Pats organization during this entire post-draft period, something we never would’ve believed when the first round kicked off last Thursday.
Nordin’s signing was announced first by the Michigan Wolverines, and he’ll now join the league’s oddest mish-mash of kicking options in looking to get a spot on the active roster.
As of now, after decades of consistency with Adam Vinatieri and Stephen Gostkowski, the Patriots will now sift through Nordin, former Buccaneers top draft pick Roberto Aguayo, and veteran and incumbent Nick Folk.
Hey, at least the Pats didn’t use the 59th overall pick on any member of this trio like the Tampa Bay Bucs once did with Aguayo!
Also, second bright side: if you’re going to sign an undrafted free agent kicker, at least you grabbed an efficient one.
Patriots just signed their first UDFA -- Michigan K Quinn Nordin, per his Twitter. https://t.co/XhzBEPj76s
— Ryan Hannable (@RyanHannable) May 5, 2021
The New England Patriots signed UDFA kicker Quinn Nordin from Michigan.
We’d be lying if we said we were confident in the Patriots’ kicking situation since every Folk success from last year felt a little like Folk’s Gold (sorry). Yes, he drilled a game-winner against the Jets and was nails when called upon, but it … it still felt like he shouldn’t have been so good, if that makes sense.
Perhaps Nordin ends up showing us a little something, and perhaps it’s better for all of us that Bill Belichick pulls every other position group directly from Nick Saban but ignores ‘Bama kickers.
During his career with the Maize and Blue, Nordin drilled a career-long 57-yarder, going 42-58 overall.
A Patriots UDFA signing: Michigan K Quinn Nordin.
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) May 5, 2021
42-of-58 on field goals (long of 57 yards), 119-of-124 on extra points in his college career. https://t.co/sYfPpZ8Cp6
Just think: it was only a year ago that the Patriots were selecting Justin Rohrwasser, betting that the NFL world would simply … ignore all the controversy surrounding that choice. They did not.
While adding a kicker as your one and only UDFA might not be the most exciting move possible, it fills a need. It’s also better to be quiet than foolish on the special teams front.
