Bill Belichick selected kicker Chad Ryland in the fourth round of the 2023 draft after the Patriots traded up to acquire him, an unusually high pick for a special teamer. The team sought a replacement as veteran Nick Folk was aging and believed to be nearing retirement. The rookie struggled in his lone Patriots season and was released by Jerod Mayo. Folk then produced one of his best seasons with the Titans. Ryland earned widespread praise in 2024 with the Arizona Cardinals for clutch late-game and 50+ yard field goals, including a 72-yard practice field goal.
Among some of the more questionable decisions he made over the years was selecting kicker Chad Ryland in the fourth round of the 2023 draft. It's almost unheard of for a special teamer to be taken so high in a draft, even more so since the Patriots actually traded up to ensure they got him. They certainly needed a new kicker, given that Nick Folk was getting older and the belief that he was closer to retiring than continuing his career.
That was immediately apparent given that Folk went on to have one of the best seasons of his career with the Titans, which could have been with the Patriots instead. On top of that, Ryland's success with the Cardinals serves as a painful reminder of the mistake that Jerod Mayo made by releasing him, given how poorly he performed during his lone season with the Patriots.
Throughout the 2024 season, Ryland earned widespread praise for his clutch performances with the Cardinals, as he consistently kept the team in games and won them due to late-game field goals, some of which were 50+ yards out. That streak appears to be continuing, at least according to the latest video of the kicker hitting a 72-yard field goal while practicing ahead of their matchup with the Broncos last weekend, putting Mayo to shame once again for moving on from him so quickly.
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