Locks: Bryce Baringer, Joe Cardona, Brenden Schooler
Bubble: Chad Ryland, Joey Slye
The Patriots will return their primary group of specialists from 2023 but there could be a battle brewing at kicker.
Joe Cardona is the established veteran of the group, entering his 10th season and rebounding from an injury-shortened 2022 to play all 17 games in 2023. He'll be joined by special teams ace Brenden Schooler, now the team's kick coverage specialist following the retirement of Matthew Slater.
Slater wasn't the only special teams-only player to depart, as both Chris Board and Cody Davis will no longer be with the team in 2024. That could mean opportunities at various positions across the roster, like tight end, linebacker and safety as the Patriots look to younger players to manage the game's third phase.
Second-year punter Bryce Baringer appears to be a roster lock as well after a solid rookie season that was not without its ups and downs. Baringer had a strong spring and broke off some beautiful high-arcing punts during OTAs and minicamp. A more effective offense could help Baringer be even more of a weapon than he could've been in 2023.
Kicker Chad Ryland had some ups and downs of his own last season, with the biggest highlight coming via a walk-off game-winning kick against the Broncos in Denver. Ryland had his struggles as well, missing five field goal attempts in a seven-game span near the end of the season, leaving questions about his long-term viability.
This offseason the team brought in kicker Joey Slye for competition. Slye has 78 career games and served as Washington's kicker for the past two seasons, making 81.5 percent of his attempts, 44-of-55, with just two misses inside 40 yards.
Ryland missed seven field goals in 17 attempts between 30 and 50 yards as a rookie but missed just one extra point all season long. Finding that mid-range consistency is vital for Ryland in his second season if he's to hang on to the kicking duties.
Slye showed his experience and consistency in OTAs and bested Ryland during end-of-practice attempts, setting up what should be a red-hot head-to-head competition this summer.
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