The New York Jets are bringing in some fresh meat but Greg Zuerlein isn’t going anywhere despite his dismal performance this season.
NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero revealed on social media that the team is signing “kickers Riley Patterson and Spencer Shrader to the practice squad.” However, they are going to give Zuerlein “time to get his knee right. Patterson or Shrader will kick Thursday night.”
Jets Are Sticking by Zuerlein, Will Put Him on Ice
Interim Jets head coach Jeff Ulbrich spoke with the media on Tuesday, October 29, and shared a lengthy injury report ahead of the Week 9 contest versus the Houston Texans.
During that conversation, he didn’t reveal any sort of injury for Zuerlein.
However, when the official injury report was released a few hours after Ulbrich’s presser, Zuerlein popped up on the injury report with a “knee” issue.
He was a limited participant and ESPN’s Rich Cimini predicted that he would land on injured reserve.
If that were to happen, Zuerlein would be forced to miss four games—four games, not four weeks. That means Zuerlein would be eligible to return for the Week 14 road trip against the Miami Dolphins.
He would miss contests against the Texans, Arizona Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, and the Seattle Seahawks [with a bye week sprinkled in].
This would allow the Jets to keep Zuerlein on the roster, who got $4.1 million guaranteed this offseason, but also keep him out of the spotlight while he rehabs and the team is hoping finds himself.
Insight Into the New Jets Kickers
Zuerlein is sticking around which is disappointing considering all of his issues including but not limited to leading the league in missed field goals (six).
The good news is that Zuerlein won’t be kicking for the Jets in Week 9; one of their new players will be.
Patterson, 25, entered the NFL in 2021 as an undrafted free agent out of Memphis. In 39 career games, Patterson has gone 59 of 67 on his field goals (88% conversion rate). He is 93-of-97 on his extra point attempts (96% conversion rate).
He is by far the most proven guy that the Jets added to the practice squad.
They also added a second placekicker to the roster.
Shrader, 25, was an undrafted free agent in April’s draft. He signed with the Indianapolis Colts and spent the offseason with the team this summer.
In Week 1 he was a practice squad elevation for the Colts and converted all three of his extra point attempts, but he didn’t attempt a field goal. Shrader is completely unproven at the NFL level.
Both of these players are a mystery, but that is better than what we know about Zuerlein. He has stunk this year and knowing that he won’t have a hand in the game on Thursday is great news for the team.
Zuerlein has been solely responsible for three of the Jets’ six losses this season. After starting the year 2-6, the Jets have zero margin for error. Gang Green needs a reliable kicker to help them in these inevitably close games that will happen down the stretch.
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