The New York Jets play Thursday night, and it’s unclear who will be their starting kicker. Greg Zuerlein has been New York’s kicker for the first eight games of the NFL season, but he has struggled mightily.
Now, the Jets just placed Zuerlein on injured reserve, meaning he’ll miss at least the next four games. Let’s examine what happened to Zuerlein and what’s next for the Jets.
Examining Greg Zuerlein’s Struggles and Injury
This is Zuerlein’s third season as the Jets’ starting kicker. In 2023, he had one of the better years of his NFL career, converting on 35 of 38 field-goal attempts (92.1%), including 5 of 6 from 50+ yards, as well as 15 of 16 extra points.
This season, however, Zuerlein has been dreadful.
Through eight games, Zuerlein has made just 9 of 15 field goals for a career-worst 60%. That’s the worst field-goal percentage for any kicker who has at least 15 attempts in the past 10 seasons. On extra-point attempts, Zuerlein is 13 of 14 on the year.
Greg Zuerlein has now missed five kicks for the Jets over his past three games
Week 6: Missed two field goals (32, 43)
Week 7: Missed one FG (35)
Today vs. Patriots: One missed FG (44), one missed PAT #Jetspic.twitter.com/oukk4wxu6v— John Breech (@johnbreech) October 27, 2024
During last week’s 25-22 loss to the New England Patriots, Zuerlein missed a 44-yard field goal and an extra point, which proved costly. This was the third straight game in which Zuerlein struggled, as he missed five kicks over a three-week span.
Who Will Replace Zuerlein?
On Tuesday, the Jets worked out six kickers, and head coach Jeff Ulbrich made it clear that the team is exploring all kicking options going forward.
At that point, it seemed like Zuerlein was about to get cut. Instead, he popped up on New York’s practice report that day with a knee injury, and the team subsequently placed him on IR.
On Wednesday, the Jets signed Riley Patterson and Spencer Shrader, two of the kickers who worked out for the team one day earlier.
It remains to be seen which of the two it will be starting against the Houston Texans on Thursday Night Football. Regardless of who gets the nod, the Jets will be starting a kicker who has been on the team for a little more than 24 hours.
Patterson, 25, has kicked for the Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Cleveland Browns. After the Jaguars waived him on July 29, he was claimed off waivers by the Washington Commanders. However, he was released less than a month later without ever attempting a kick for them.
Throughout his four-year career, Patterson has made 59 of 67 field goals (88.1%) and 93 of 97 extra points (95.9%).
Shrader, 25, is a rookie who went undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts, who ultimately waived him on Aug. 25. Yet, he was re-signed to Indy’s practice squad and elevated to the active roster after Matt Gay got injured.
Shrader played in Week 1, going 3 for 3 on extra points and didn’t attempt a field goal. However, he was released on Oct. 16.
Across five collegiate seasons at USF and Notre Dame, Shrader made 43 of 62 field goals (69.4%) and 154 of 156 extra points (98.7%).
Patterson seems like the favorite to land the starting job, given his NFL experience. But regardless of who starts, it will be interesting to see how they fare on Thursday Night Football being brand new to the team.
As for Zuerlein, it’s possible his struggles were related to this knee injury. It’s also possible that he has played his final game with the Jets.
New York is currently 2-6, and their kicking issues have certainly played a role in that. We’ll see if either Patterson or Shrader can give the Jets’ special teams a significant boost.