Patriots draft bust finally signs with a new team after preseason release

The Patriots went into training camp this offseason with a focus on one roster competition that had fans chomping at the bit: who would win the starting quarterback role for the 2024 season, Jacoby Brissett or Drake Maye?

The debate dominated headlines throughout the summer and has continued to be an argument even after Jerod Mayo announced Brissett would be benched for the rookie starting in Week 6. However, one of the more intriguing roster battles that got little attention was between the kickers, second-year Chad Ryland, and tenured veteran Joey Slye.

It was clear Ryland was on a tight leash after a disastrous rookie season in 2023, a year in which he became such a liability for the Patriots that Bill Belichick was forced to keep the offense on the field on fourth down instead of kicking a field goal.

That made Ryland's roster stability coming into this past offseason shaky at best, which explained the team's decision to sign Slye in free agency. The competition between the two was neck and neck for most of the summer, but Slye's ability to hit the longer, more difficult kicks had him win the starting role for the season. Therefore, Ryland was released.

In the months since he has tried out for some teams and spent time on a practice squad, but that changed on Tuesday when he was officially given another shot in the NFL by the Arizona Cardinals when he was signed to their 53-man roster.

Arizona's starting kicker was placed on injured reserve, opening a spot on the team for Ryland to take over. He proved he could be what they needed by hitting the game-sealing field goal against the 49ers in Week 5, which couldn't have come at a more perfect time.

He will now have a chance to be the Cardinals' kicker for at least the next four games or however long Matt Prater will be sidelined. It's a massive opportunity for the Patriots draft bust who didn't appear to win a team over until mid-way through the season.

If he can be reliable for his new team, they may keep him around longer than initially anticipated, especially since Prater is no spring chicken at 40 years old. Ryland could earn the permanent role with a solid performance with this opportunity or even a spot on another team to continue his NFL career elsewhere.

More Patriots news and analysis: