After a close competition between kickers Chad Ryland and Joey Slye this offseason, the Patriots' decision to keep the veteran and release their former draft pick felt like the right move. Ryland had struggled during his rookie year in 2023 and appeared to be on thin ice after being the cause of many lost games.
But the new regime kept him on the roster throughout the summer and after signing Slye in hopes of adding a competitive edge, he won the kicker battle.
For much of the season, the seasoned special teamer was reliable and brought consistency to a position that had been a weak spot of the team last year, only for his performance to slowly start declining as the weeks went by. While some of his kicks are understandable to have been missed, as he has been asked to attempt several 50+ yard field goals, others are not.
That has led to concerns regarding his status at the position, even more so after he missed another field goal against the Cardinals, while Ryland, now on Arizona's roster, had a perfect day.
Joey Slye might be on thin ice during the Patriots final three games
It's clear the Patriots are already questioning Slye due to his decline over the past month since they signed John Parker Romo to the practice squad a few weeks ago. With just three games left on the schedule, it's unlikely that Slye will be pulled, but it's difficult to overlook how crucial more missed field goals and extra points could be.
There is a possibility that Parker Romo will look good enough during practice to test him out before a game or even elevate him to the game-day roster just in case Slye has another bad day. It might be the best decision for the team, given how crucial all points are for the Patriots during this rough year.
His decline, however, does put the Patriots in a rough spot heading into the offseason. Since Bill Belichick decided to keep Ryland over Nick Folk, they have struggled with kickers again, and it looks like they're headed in that direction (again) in 2025. Slye looked like he could earn another contract, but that's far from certain now that his reliability has plummeted.
It's not a great position for the Patriots, considering the number of holes on the roster they need to address, and kicker cannot be easily pushed to the side. They may have to explore other free agents or look ahead to the incoming rookie class, and hopefully, they'll find a great option that can be with the team for years to come.