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Riley Patterson

Jets’ Kicker Workout Includes Zane Gonzalez, Brayden Narveson, Cade York, Others

October 29th, 2024 at 3:40pm CST by Ben Levine

OCTOBER 29: Zane Gonzalez and the recently cut Brayden Narveson took part in the Jets’ kicker workout, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. The workout also included Patterson, York, Spencer Shrader and Andre Szmyt. Shrader kicked in one game for the Colts this season, filling in for Matt Gay. Szmyt has never kicked in an NFL game.

Narveson missed five field goals in six Packers games, doing so despite not attempting a 50-plus-yarder during his rookie season. The Pack cut him for Brandon McManus this month. Gonzalez has not kicked in a regular-season game since 2021 but was a regular for five straight seasons. The Commanders cut Patterson and traded for York in August, eventually moving on from the latter after Week 1. The Jets have not yet made a signing, but several options are on the radar.

OCTOBER 28: Greg Zuerlein‘s days in New York may be numbered. Following another dreadful outing from the Jets kicker, coach Jeff Ulbrich acknowledged that his team would hold a kicker competition this week (per ESPN’s Rich Cimini). Ulbrich added that the team intends to make a choice before Thursday’s matchup with the Texans, and he strongly hinted that Zuerlein may be sent packing.

“We’re exploring all the options right now,” Ulbrich said (via Brian Costello of the New York Post). “We really are. So we’re going to bring the kickers in for a workout, see where they stand and make a decision after that.”

This isn’t the first time this season that the Jets have considered pivoting away from Zuerlein. The team brought in Cade York, Riley Patterson, and Matt Coghlin earlier this month, but the Jets ended up sticking with the veteran for the time being.

Zuerlein has struggled during his age-37 season, with the kicker missing six of his 15 field goal attempts. In a three-point loss to the Patriots, ‘Greg The Leg’ missed a 44-yard attempt and an extra point. He previously missed a field goal in a one-point loss to the Broncos, and he missed a pair of FGAs during the Jets’ three-point loss to the Bills.

Following an underwhelming start to his New York tenure in 2022, Zuerlein seemed to bounce back in 2023, connecting on 35 of his 38 field goal attempts and 15 of his 16 XP tries. The Jets brought in Austin Seibert as some competition this offseason before ultimately deciding to stay with their incumbent. Seibert proceeded to join the Commanders, where he’s made a league-leading 23 of his 25 field goal attempts.

Jets Work Out Riley Patterson, Cade York

October 16th, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Greg Zuerlein‘s third Jets season has not started off well. Albeit in suboptimal conditions, Zuerlein combined to miss three field goals in home losses to the Broncos and Bills. As a result, the Jets are looking into other options.

Riley Patterson, Cade York and Matt Coghlin worked out for the team today, ESPN.com’s Field Yates tweets. Zuerlein is 8-for-12 this season, missing one of his two kicks Monday night from inside 40 yards. Zuerlein previously missed a game-winning 50-yarder in the rain against the Broncos.

The Jets re-signed Zuerlein in March, agreeing to a two-year, $8.4MM deal. That contract included $4.2MM guaranteed and included three void years for cap purposes. While the Jets would eat more than $2MM in dead money by moving on from the established option, they have certainly attempted to shake things up as of late. No signings have been made, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo, but Zuerlein may be running out of time to bounce back.

Robert Saleh is out, while Nathaniel Hackett has been demoted. Todd Downing is in the play-calling role, and Davante Adams is set to debut for the team in Week 7. Mike Williams is on the trade block. The Jets have not tampered with their special teams core just yet, but Zuerlein is clearly on notice.

A Division II success story known as one of the NFL’s strongest-legged kickers, the 37-year-old specialist has never been cut in-season. The Cowboys did release him after the 2021 campaign, however. Zuerlein made 35 of 38 field goals in his second Jets season — including a 5-for-6 connect rate from 50-plus yards — to lead to the two-year contract, but he may be kicking for his job soon.

Patterson entered training camp as the Commanders’ kicker, having been claimed following a Jaguars cut, but did not make it to the regular season in that role. York came in via trade as a replacement for Patterson, who struggled during the preseason.

Split between Detroit and Cleveland, Patterson went 16-for-18 on field goals last season; he made 30 of 35 tries as the Jaguars’ kicker in 2022. A 2022 Browns draftee, York has kicked in one game over the past two seasons. It did not go well. York did not make it to Week 2 in the Commanders role, being waived after missing two kicks in a season-opening loss. Coghlin spent six years at Michigan State but has yet to kick in an NFL game; the 49ers worked him out last week before signing Matthew Wright.

49ers To Add K Matthew Wright

October 8th, 2024 at 9:02am CST by Nikhil Mehta

The 49ers look to have their temporary kicker selected. After a five-specialist workout, San Francisco is going with Matthew Wright. The veteran fill-in will be added to the team’s practice squad, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets.

The 49ers lost starting kicker Jake Moody to a high ankle sprain during their Week 5 loss to the Cardinals, and their next game on Thursday gave them little time to find a replacement.

Wright has spent four years in the NFL as a mercenary kicker for teams in need of stopgap solutions due to injury like the 49ers. He played 14 games for the Jaguars in 2021 after Josh Lambo went down, and has also spent time with the Steelers, Chiefs, and Panthers. Wright has made 40 of his 47 career field goal attempts (85.7%), with a long of 59, and his PAT conversion rate is 94.6%.

Wright beat out Randy Bullock, Anders Carlson and Matt Coghlin for San Francisco’s kicking job, per Schefter. Riley Patterson also auditioned for the gig, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Wright will have to quickly get on the same page as punter/holder Mitch Wishnowsky. Wishnowsky hit a 26-yard field goal against Arizona, but 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan declined to give him a chance from 44 yards, instead electing to attempt a fourth-and-23. The conversion failed, and the Cardinals would go on to score 10 unanswered points to win.

Wright is expected to be elevated from the practice squad for the 49ers’ Thursday matchup with the Seahawks. He will need to overcome a raucous Seattle crowd to help San Francisco keep up in the NFC West.

Giants Work Out Four Kickers, To Add Greg Joseph Off Lions’ Practice Squad

September 17th, 2024 at 2:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Graham Gano‘s injury changed the Giants’ gameday procedure, costing them dearly in a narrow loss to the Commanders. After not attempting any extra points once Gano went down, the Giants will make their expected addition.

With Gano set to miss at least four games, New York worked out four kickers. The team, however, will take another course. The Giants are signing Greg Joseph off the Lions’ practice squad, per his agency. The team must keep Joseph on its 53-man roster for at least three weeks due to poaching him off another team’s P-squad. Gano is now on IR, per a Giants announcement.

The Giants initially attempted a free agency path here, with NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo indicating the team worked out Zane Gonzalez, Randy Bullock, Riley Patterson and Tanner Brown. Instead, it will be Joseph, who will head to team No. 3 this year. Joseph signed with the Packers early this offseason but did not make their 53-man roster, joining the Lions’ practice squad as Jake Bates insurance. But an immediate opportunity will come his way in New York.

Joseph, 30, spent the past three seasons as the Vikings’ kicker. He drilled a 61-yard game-winning field goal to beat the Giants in Week 16 of the 2022 season. Like Gano, who made a 63-yarder to beat the Giants as a Panther in 2018, Joseph will make his way to the NFC’s New York franchise.

Joseph made 86.8% of his field goals in 2021 but did not clear the 80% barrier in either of the past two seasons. He made 80% of his tries last season, missing three from between 40 and 49 yards, and saw the Vikings take a different route this year.

As for Gano, this is the second time he has landed on IR in as many seasons. Gano has suffered two injuries since the Giants gave him a three-year, $16.5MM extension ($11.34MM guaranteed) in September 2023. Gano, 37, missed nine games last season. The Giants will hope to have their regular specialist back from his hamstring injury this season, but they will need to use an IR activation to make that happen.

Bullock served as the Giants’ Gano replacement in six games last season, while Patterson could not secure a spot as the Commanders’ kicker in the preseason. (Gonzalez has not kicked since the 2021 season.) The Commanders, who settled on Austin Seibert as their latest kicker, became the first NFL team to win a game despite scoring zero touchdowns to their opponent’s three.

Commanders To Trade For Browns K Cade York, Waive K Riley Patterson

August 22nd, 2024 at 9:12am CST by Adam La Rose

Known to be on the lookout for a change at the kicker position, the Commanders have a pair of moves in place. Washington is trading for Cade York, sending the Browns a conditional seventh-round pick, SI’s Albert Breer reports.

In a corresponding move, the Commanders have released Riley Patterson. That leaves York as the only kicker on Washington’s roster with the start of the regular season looming. The 2022 Browns draftee connected on 75% of his field goal attempts during his rookie season, suggesting he could remain in place over the long term. Struggles last offseason led Cleveland to bring in Dustin Hopkins as competition, however, and the veteran handled kicking duties in 2023.

Hopkins exceled during his debut Browns campaign, and he landed a three-year, $15.3MM extension last month. Cleveland wanted to keep York in the fold last year, and the team’s decision to bring him back this offseason proved that was still the case. Instead of risking the former fourth-rounder on waivers again, though, the Browns have elected to take back minimal draft compensation while moving forward with only Hopkins in place for the time being.

The Commanders had Brandon McManus in the fold earlier this offseason, but allegations of sexual assault made in a civil suit dating back to his time with the Jaguars led to Washington releasing him. That move was followed by the signing of Ramiz Ahmed, who entered training camp as the lone kicker on the roster. Patterson was claimed off waivers at the end of July, though, which led to Ahmed’s release.

Patterson, 24, has seen game action with three teams in his brief NFL career despite going 53-for-59 on field goals to date. He struggled in the Commanders’ first two preseason contests, however, leading head coach Dan Quinn to state another move was being targeted. With one more exhibition contest on the slate, York will have a small window of opportunity to earn the Week 1 gig.

The LSU alum spent time on the Titans’ and Giants’ practice squads last year, but he was not used in the regular season. York’s return to Cleveland has proven to be short-lived, but this Commanders deal will allow him to find a full-time position for the 2024 campaign provided he does not disappoint in the build-up to the season. If he does, Washington’s willingness to move on from kickers quickly would make another change at the position a distinct possibility.

Commanders Claim K Riley Patterson

July 31st, 2024 at 3:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following their short-lived partnership with Brandon McManus, the Commanders are turning to another recent Jaguars kicker. Washington submitted a successful waiver claim for Riley Patterson on Wednesday, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets.

Patterson, who has enjoyed multiple stints with Jacksonville, will head to a Washington team that features kicker uncertainty after McManus’ release. Patterson has kicked in 39 career games; 15 of those came last season — with the Lions and Browns.

Entering Wednesday, Ramiz Ahmed resided as the only kicker on the Commanders’ 90-man roster. Ahmed has kicked in one career game — as a Packers Mason Crosby fill-in in 2022. Patterson, who turned 29 last week, landed with the Jags via reserve/futures contract but lost an early camp competition to sixth-round rookie Cam Little.

The Commanders released McManus after a lawsuit alleging sexual assault surfaced after the team signed him. The allegations stemmed from a flight during the 2023 Jaguars season. Washington had given the longtime Denver specialist a one-year, $3.6MM deal in March. Ahmed joined the team in June, shortly after the McManus cut. The inexperienced option now has competition.

Patterson has yo-yoed between Jacksonville and Detroit during his career, being both traded and waived. After seven games with the 2021 Lions, Patterson was the Jags’ 2022 kicker. The Jaguars claimed Patterson just before that season; he made 30 of 35 field goals during the regular season and kicked the game-winner that sealed a 27-point wild-card comeback over the Chargers. Last season, after the Jags traded Patterson back to the Lions, the Memphis alum made 88.2% of his tries but lost an ongoing practice competition to Michael Badgley. The Lions ended up going with Badgley and cutting Patterson in December, leading him to a short role filling in for Dustin Hopkins.

Joey Slye served as the Commanders’ kicker last season, but the ex-Ron Rivera Panthers charge made only 79.2% of his kicks. The team will see if Patterson or Ahmed can prove an adequate replacement.

The Commanders, who also signed Byron Pringle earlier today, released wideout Damiere Byrd and waived wideout Dax Milne. Byrd had played for Kliff Kingsbury in Arizona previously, while Milne has been in Washington since being drafted in the 2021 seventh round.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/29/24

July 29th, 2024 at 8:04pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed: WR Jesse Matthews

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

  • Waived: K John Parker Romo

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Riley Patterson‘s second stint in Jacksonville has come to an end. After getting a seven-game look with the Lions in 2021, Patterson won the Jaguars full-time kicking gig in 2022. He proceeded to convert 30 of his 35 field goal attempts that season, plus another three-for-three showing in the postseason (including a 41-yard game-winner against the Chargers).

He was replaced in Jacksonville by Brandon McManus last offseason, leading to him spending the majority of the 2023 campaign back in Detroit. In addition to his two-game stint with the Browns to end last season, Patterson ended 2023 having connected on 16 of his 18 FG tries and 41 of his 44 XP tries. The Jaguars brought him back in February via a reserve/future contract, but the team is already committing to rookie sixth-round pick Cam Little as their full-time kicker.

Jaguars Give K Riley Patterson Futures Deal

February 5th, 2024 at 8:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Leaving Jacksonville due to a mid-offseason Sean Payton decision, Riley Patterson kicked for two teams this past season. The former Jaguars kicker has a chance to return to his old job in 2024.

The Jaguars gave Patterson a reserve/futures contract Monday, ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco tweets. A Jaguar in 2022, Patterson kicked for the Lions and Browns in 2023. With Brandon McManus not under contract for 2024, Patterson is the only kicker signed to the Jags’ offseason roster.

McManus’ sudden availability changed the Jags’ plans at kicker last year. After the Broncos designated their longtime kicker as a post-June 1 cut, the Jags quickly signed him. They then traded Patterson back to the Lions. Patterson, who has been shuttling from Detroit to Jacksonville throughout his NFL career, kicked in 13 Lions games this season. Although he made 15 of 17 field goals with the Lions, an ongoing practice competition led the NFC North champions to cut him after giving Michael Badgley — their primary 2022 kicker — his job back.

Badgley finished the season as Detroit’s kicker, being memorably left on the sidelines as Dan Campbell opted to go for two second-half fourth downs in field goal range, while Patterson filled in for Dustin Hopkins in Cleveland. Patterson, 24, attempted just one field goal with the Browns.

Being cut by the Lions before the 2022 season, Patterson was 30-for-35 with the Jaguars — following a waiver claim — that year. He kicked a game-winning field goal to complete the team’s comeback win over the Chargers in the wild-card round. This season, McManus went 30-for-37; he missed five of his 10 attempts from beyond 50 yards. McManus, 32, is set to become a free agent in March.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/12/24

January 12th, 2024 at 7:17pm CST by Ely Allen

Some minor roster moves heading into Super Wild Card Weekend:

Cleveland Browns

It appears that Patterson will be serving kicking duties for Cleveland for the third week in a row. Regular kicker Dustin Hopkins will not be available for the first week of the playoffs as he continues to deal with a hamstring injury.

No practice squad callups for the Texans is a good sign for some of the injuries the team has been dealing with. With wide receivers Robert Woods and Noah Brown coming into the game with questionable designations, signs are pointing to them being available tomorrow.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/6/24

January 6th, 2024 at 8:33pm CST by Ely Allen

The last week of pregame transactions and gameday callups for several teams this season:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

  • Placed on IR: T Mike McGlinchey
  • Activated from IR: T Alex Palczewski
  • Signed to active roster: CB Art Green
  • Elevated: S Devon Key

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

  • Placed on IR: TE Hunter Henry
  • Signed to active roster: TE La’Michael Pettway
  • Elevated: TE Matt Sokol, OL Andrew Stueber

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Several teams whose season is set to come to an end tomorrow have elected to move injured players to injured reserve in order to create roster spots for practice squad options, particularly those who have had their three gameday elevations exhausted. In the case of the Broncos, McGlinchey will see his debut campaign in the Mile High City come to a premature end. Signed to a five-year, $87.5MM deal, the 28-year-old was part of a revamped O-line which did not produce the desired rebound on offense. Manning his usual right tackle spot, McGlinchey was charged with eight sacks and 49 pressures allowed by PFF, resulting in an overall grade of 67.5.

While the Giants will have an interesting decision to make with respect to Xavier McKinney‘s future, they will have Pinnock on the books for at least one more season. The latter’s rookie contract is set to expire following the 2024 campaign, one in which he will no doubt remain a vital member of New York’s secondary. Pinnock has recorded 85 tackles, two interceptions (including a 102-yard pick-six), six pass deflections and a pair of forced fumbles while logging over 1,000 defensive snaps this season. A return to health and a continuation of his 2023 level of play will be sorely needed next fall.

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