TEMPE — When Arizona Cardinals kicker Matt Prater was placed on injured reserve, one of the most stable positions on the roster suddenly became anything but with second-year pro Chad Ryland stepping in for the veteran.
His first field goal attempt in a Cardinals uniform, which resulted in a block, didn’t help alleviate any of those concerns.
But outside of that one negative play, it’s been nothing but positives for the young kicker, with Ryland successfully converting all eight of his tries since then.
That includes a trio of game-winning kicks, highlighted by back-to-back walkoff wins these past two weeks. The last time the Cardinals had consecutive walkoff field goals in a single season was 1998.
“He’s got ice water in his veins right now.”
Jonathan Gannon on K Chad Ryland’s recent late-game heroics. pic.twitter.com/LQTn70L3Nx
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) October 27, 2024
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“Primetime player. … He’s got ice water in his veins right now to have that kind of confidence,” head coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters after Arizona’s 28-27 win over Miami. “How we decided to play the last two games, there’s other ways to play that game. We think that’s the best thing to do the last two.
“Maybe it’s not always like that. But these last two it’s been, ‘Let’s end with the ball and let’s kick a field goal and get out of here.’ And that’s what we’ve done.”
The biggest change in Ryland’s game as a member of the Cardinals has been his consistency, something he struggled with as a rookie.
Across 17 games with the New England Patriots last season, the 2023 fourth-round pick (No. 112 overall) converted just 64% of his attempts (16-of-25).
That included a 7-for-14 mark from 40 yards or more.
In Arizona, he’s now 3-for-4 from that range and a perfect 5-for-5 on shorter attempts.
“I didn’t hit the ball as good as I would have liked last year, but things happen for a reason,” Ryland told Arizona Sports‘ Burns & Gambo earlier this month. “I’m super pumped to be where I’m at now, because everything I went through last year has certainly prepared me to date.
“I’ll continue to carry the goods, the bads and everything else in between with me as I continue to hopefully progress toward a 10-year career.”
Could Chad Ryland be the heir apparent to Matt Prater?
Given Ryland’s current stretch, there’s a real possibility someone swoops him up once Prater returns from his left knee soreness.
Arizona isn’t going to want to keep two kickers on the roster, and trying to stash Ryland on the practice squad seems unlikely at this rate.
So, what do the Cardinals do?
Prater has been around the NFL block 18 times now. That’s 254 career games. Sometime soon, his impressive career is going to come to a close.
But just how much more does he have in the tank?
If it’s less than two seasons, keeping Ryland around beyond this year is something to at the very least think about.