2. K Quinn Nordin
Nordin should be commended for making the roster as an undrafted free agent, as he went from a recruit that had Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh sleeping over his house to Belichick’s preferred kicking option. Despite that, Nordin didn’t exactly win the job with a dominant performance.
Nordin, who made 42 of his 58 kicks in college, made six of his eight field goal attempts in the preseason and followed that up with three missed extra points. Considering that Nick Folk has 13 years of experience and made 93% of his kicks for the Patriots last season, this is a bold move.
The Patriots are expected to stick with rookie K Quinn Nordin as their starter, taking over the job from veteran Nick Folk, per source.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) August 31, 2021
Nordin was looking for jobs on LinkedIn after this past NFL Draft and is now in line to handle kicking duties in New England.
Is Patriots K Quinn Nordin better than Nick Folk?
Kicking can win or lose plenty of close games, so Belichick going with the younger Nordin over the veteran in Folk might be a sign that he is willing to go with the stronger leg over the aging greybeard. If Nordin kicks as he did in the preseason, that might not be the most encouraging sign.
Belichick is a special teams perfectionist, and the contributions of Adam Vinatieri and Stephen Gostkowski were instrumental in the team’s ability to consistently rank at the top of the division. Nordin might be the next great Patriots kicker, but there is an equally valid timeline where he is cut before the end of the season.