Through the first two months of the 2022 season, Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Riley Patterson was about as reliable as the team could’ve possibly hoped for when it claimed him off waivers at the end of August. He made 15 of his 16 extra point tries and 11 of his 12 field goal attempts through Week 8.
In the last two weeks, Patterson hasn’t been nearly as trustworthy. The Jaguars shook off his 41-yard miss and beat the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 9, but Patterson’s 51- and 41- yard misses in the loss to the Kansas City Chiefs were costly.
On Monday, Jaguars coach Doug Pederson was asked if the team would consider giving James McCourt, a rookie kicker on the practice squad, a chance at competing to take over the role from Patterson.
“Not yet,” Pederson said. “During the week of practice on Wednesdays and Thursdays we let both guys kick, so there’s a little bit of competition there. It’s unfortunate, again as I talked after the game, those are missed opportunities that we’ve just got to have, especially against good teams. You’ve got to hit those balls through the uprights. He knows that. He understands that, but no competition right now.”
McCourt, 25, spent preseason with the Jaguars and made both of his field goal attempts, including a 54-yarder against the Atlanta Falcons. He also made both of his extra point tries.
Earlier this season, the Jaguars brought in a pair of kickers — Rodrigo Blankenship and Sam Ficken — for tryouts, but opted against signing either player.