5 Patriots with the most to prove during the 2024 season

Chad Ryland

Likely the most obvious name of all, kicker Chad Ryland will need a stellar training camp and preseason to remain on the Patriots' 53-man roster.

His rookie season last year was certainly memorable, but unfortunately for him and the team, it wasn't for good reason. Despite looking good during the summer, Ryland became a liability on game day, missing nine field goals by the end of the year.

Part of his struggles could be attributed to a problematic special teams unit that performed uncharacteristically poorly all season long.

However, Ryland's production became such an issue that Bill Belichick chose to keep an even worse offense on the field on fourth downs instead of having the kicker line up for a field goal. It left a lot of potential points off the board because he couldn't be trusted, no matter where he would be kicking from.

It was clear his confidence was shaken during the season, and hopefully, for his sake, he will be in a better mindset this summer to unanimously keep the role as the team's kicker. The Patriots didn't draft one this year, but they did sign free agent kicker Joey Slye to put Ryland in the hot seat.