The New England Patriots are preparing to come to Pittsburgh. And they’re searching for every ex-Steelers kicker they can find. What’s Jeff Reed up to these days?
Per NFL Insider Aaron Wilson, the Patriots worked out several specialists today, including three former Steelers’ kickers: B.T. Potter, Matthew Wright, and Matthew McCrane.
The Patriots are nine days away from playing in Pittsburgh when they take on the hosting Steelers in Week 14, a Thursday night game. And that might be influencing some of the team’s choices on who to work out.
Starting rookie kicker Chad Ryland has struggled this year, going just 12-for-18 on field goal attempts this season. That includes missing a game-tying kick in Sunday’s loss to the New York Giants, a 35-yarder that went flying to the left. With the loss, the Patriots fell to 2-9 on the season.
After the game, Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick was asked about Ryland’s status.
“Chad’s a very talented player,” Belichick said via CBS News Boston. “But this is two weeks in a row we’ve basically missed extra points. So, it’s not good enough.”
Ryland also missed a 35-yarder in Week 11’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts in a 10-6 defeat as the Pats endure their worst season under Belichick.
Wright is the most recognizable kicker in Foxboro today with Steelers ties, appearing in seven games with the team across two separate stints. He kicked in three games as a rookie and then was brought back last year when Chris Boswell landed on IR with an injury, going 12-of-14 and showing off improved leg strength.
McCrane appeared in one game for the Steelers back in 2018, hitting all three of his field goals in a 16-13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Potter is the most recent name to come through Pittsburgh. An undrafted free agent following a highly successful Clemson career, Potter was with the team throughout the offseason and training camp before being released at final cutdowns. He’s never appeared in an NFL game but recently said he hoped to continue his NFL career.
Collecting kickers who have experience at Acrisure Stadium, an easier-than-it-was but-still-tough-place-to-kick, is valuable for someone like Belichick. We’ll see if the Patriots actually sign any of these players or have them at the ready if Ryland struggles again. And if anyone knows what Kris Brown is doing these days, tell him to give New England a call.
