New England Patriots kicker Chad Ryland is eager to bounce back after a difficult 2023 season.
The Maryland product connected on only 64 percent of his field goal attempts in what was a difficult campaign. Now, he is looking forward to taking on the challenge of bouncing back. The Patriots brought in competition at kicker with the signing of veteran Joey Slye.
Ryland will have a chance to turn the page by being more consistent this year. Special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer has been working with him behind the scenes on technique changes.
Even with Slye on the roster, the second-year kicker remains confident and fully accepts the challenge ahead.
“I’m certainly looking forward to it,” said Ryland, via NESN.com’s Keagan Stiefel. “I’m no coward to a challenge and certainly want to continue to grow in my craft, and will hopefully grow each year and take each offseason moving forward through how many years I’m blessed to play as serious as I did this offseason.”
There’s no doubt Ryland had bumps in the road last year.
It remains to be seen how he will fare this season. Nevertheless, it is clear that he is coming in with a focused mindset and ready to go.