Chad Michael Ryland, born on October 15, 1999, is an American professional football placekicker currently playing for the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL. He was originally drafted by the New England Patriots in the fourth round (112th overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Early Career and College Stats
Ryland's journey to the NFL began at Cedar Crest High School, where he played under Head Coach Rob Wildasin. He was ranked as a five-star kicker and 24th in the nation for the class of 2018 by Kohl's kicking. Ryland was a two-time all-county and all-league kicker, averaging 61.9 yards per kickoff and converting 4 of 7 field goal attempts during his senior year. He also played soccer for four years.
Before joining the NFL, Ryland showcased his skills at Eastern Michigan University (EMU) and the University of Maryland. Here's a glimpse at his college stats:
- Career Honors at Eastern Michigan: EMU’s career leader in PATs made (141) and PATs attempted (145).
- Has connected on 56 field goals, which ranks second in program history.
- Holds the EMU career points scored with 309 as well as the EMU’s single-game record with five FGs made in 2021.
During his time at Eastern Michigan, Ryland set the EMU single-season record for points (104) in 2021. He earned Academic All-MAC honors and was named a Second Team All-MAC selection in 2020. In 2019, his 38 PATs made is tied for fifth in a single-season at EMU. In 2018, he knocked in the game-winning, walk-off field goal in EMU’s 20-19 defeat of Purdue, only the second “Power 5” victory in school history.
As a Senior (2022) at Maryland: Made 19-of-23 field goals, an 82.6-percentage, including a perfect 9-for-9 from under 40 yards. Ended Maryland career with highest field goal percentage (.826) ever by a Terp kicker with over 20 attempts.
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NFL Career
The Patriots drafted Ryland in the fourth round last year and then stuck with him through a disastrous rookie campaign. He led the league in missed field goals (nine) despite ranking t-27th in attempts (25), with the only semi-positive being decent work on PATs (24 of 25). Ryland went two of four from 50-plus yards and five of 10 from 40-49 yards, also missing two kicks inside of 40. The Patriots already had an accurate, veteran kicker in Nick Folk, but that didn't stop them from using a fourth-round pick on Ryland, who presumably will allow the team to try more long-distance kicks.
Ryland joined the Arizona Cardinals' practice squad and later replaced the injured Matt Prater on the active roster.
2024 Season Highlights
- In the final 14 weeks of the 2024 season, tied for first in the NFC - and fourth in the NFL overall - with 28 made FGs.
- Connected on game winning FGs in wins over the 49ers (Week 5), Chargers (Week 7) and Dolphins (Week 8) in 2024.
- Earned "NFC Special Teams Player of the Month" for October for his performance in his first four games with the Cardinals in 2024.
- Made all four FG attempts from 50+ yards in 2024 (51, 55, 57, 58).
- His 58-yarder in Week 16 at Carolina is tied for the fifth-longest FG in Cardinals history.
- His 57-yarder at Miami is tied for the seventh-longest FG in team annals.
Since sending a 57-yard field goal wide right at the end of the first possession of a Week 3 loss at San Francisco, Ryland has been perfect as a placekicker since then, making 11 FGAs and 14 PATs without a miss. That amounts to 7.8 points per game during that stretch, which would rank 11th among kickers with at least eight appearances this season.
Ryland connected on both field-goal attempts and all three point-after tries during Monday's 27-17 victory in Dallas.
Here's a table summarizing Ryland's field goal stats:
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| Distance | Attempts | Made |
|---|---|---|
| 50+ yards | 4 | 4 |
| 40-49 yards | 10 | 5 |
| Under 40 yards | ? | ? |
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