The Washington Commanders executed a trade with the Cleveland Browns for kicker Cade York on Wednesday morning. The resulting roster move was the release of kicker Riley Patterson, a veteran kicker who has struggled throughout training camp in Washington.
Could the Packers, who are having their own kicker issues, be interested?
Patterson, an undrafted kicker out of Memphis, is entering his fourth NFL season after kicking for three different teams — the Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns — over his first three seasons. Patterson has connected on 59 of 67 field goal attempts, or 88.1 percent, and 93 of 97 extra points, or 95.9 percent. On kicks of at least 40 yards, Patterson is 19 of 25, or 76 percent. He’s 3-of-6 on kicks over 50 yards, with a career long of 53 yards.
Patterson, 24, struggled with the Commanders this summer. Over two preseason games, Patterson connected on just 2-of-5 field goal attempts, missing three between 30 and 49 yards.
The Packers are currently waging a competition between Anders Carlson, the incumbent and 2023 draft pick who struggled to end his rookie season; veteran Greg Joseph, who kicked for the Vikings between 2021-23 but has struggled as of late in training camp; and rookie Alex Hale, a native Australian who was designated as the team’s new international player on Wednesday.
Soon, the Packers will need to make a decision on who will be the kicker for Week 1. Final cuts are next Tuesday. In a league starving for consistent kicking, Patterson could be in demand.
Patterson’s indoor/outdoor splits are worth considering for a team that plays home games at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
While kicking indoors, Patterson is 29-of-30 on field goals and 47-of-48 on extra points. Almost perfect. Outdoors? Patterson is 30-of-37 on field goals and 46-of-49 on extra points, so the majority of his misses have come outside the kicking comforts of an indoor stadium.
It’s worth noting that Patterson was available when the Packers signed kicker Jack Podlesny in January. The Jaguars signed Patterson on Feb. 6, and the Commanders claimed Patterson off waivers from the Jaguars on July 31.
Do the Packers want to make a move at kicker before final cuts, or will they let the competition play out over the next week — with a joint practice with the Ravens on Thursday and the preseason finale on Saturday — before making a decision? Patterson might not be a substantial upgrade, but he is now available if the Packers want to add to the competition.
