Ryland’s Reliability Makes Him Strong Candidate for NFL Teams

Written by Gavin Sweeney, LebCoSports.com contributor, high school student, and aspiring sports journalist

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On Wednesday, it was announced that Cedar Crest’s Chad Ryland had signed with the Arizona Cardinals as a member of their practice squad. This move, which came after much speculation that the Packers would sign Ryland, seemed motivated as insurance since Matt Prater, a solid NFL veteran, is 6-6 this season kicking for the Phoenix-based franchise.

On Thursday, the reason for the move became obvious as Prater again missed practice due to an injury to his knee. Will Ryland get the start for the Cards as they take on the 49ers this Sunday? While we don’t know the answer at this point, one thing is certain: Chad Ryland should be kicking in the NFL.

Ryland has made a name for himself for his big leg and his reliability. Here is a historical rundown of his kicking career that began in South Lebanon.

Cedar Crest High School

Ryland attended Cedar Crest High School, where he made a name for himself as a reliable kicker with a big leg. Ryland only started playing football in his junior year of high school after being influenced by his dad, Todd Ryland. During those two years playing high school football, he was named an All-League and All-County placekicker. His mom (Debra) and his dad (Todd) were very supportive of his dream to make it to the NFL. Ryland and his father would often sneak on the field after it was closed to put in extra work. If someone asked them to leave, they would, but they would often come back to continue to practice. Ryland’s work paid off, and he was ranked a five-star kicker and named the 24th-best high school kicker in the nation after attending the Kohl’s Kicking Camp.

Eastern Michigan – Walk-on Freshman

Ryland was a walk-on at Eastern Michigan University, where he had to try out for the starting job, a competition he won his Freshman year. Ryland showed immediately what he was made of when, in Week Two, he hit a game-winning 24-yard field goal (20-9) to upset Purdue. He finished his first season having made 12 out of 20 field goals and making all 41 PATs.

Eastern Michigan – Sophomore

In his Sophomore year, he made 35 PATs and made 14 out of 19 field goals. One of his highlights that year was against Illinois, where he made a 24-yard game-winning field goal. After that, he was named Second Team All-Conference. Since COVID-19 played tricks on the 2020 season, the EMU Eagles didn’t go as far as they would have liked, but Ryland finished the year ranked top-20 nationally with an outstanding field goal percentage of 84.6% while making 11 out of 13 field goal attempts.

Eastern Michigan – Junior

In his Junior year, Ryland had a breakout season, which resulted in him breaking the team record with 104 points in a season while making 19 out of 22 field goals. Again, he should his reliability by successfully connecting on all 47 PATs. Ryland was officially on the radar ahead of his Senior year.

University of Maryland – Senior Season

Ahead of his Senior year, Ryland was ready for a bigger stage, so he entered the transfer portal. After his amazing career at Eastern Michigan, where he was named as their all-time leading scorer with 309 points, the University of Maryland gave him an opportunity to showcase his skills in the Big Ten. With Maryland, Ryland was named Second All-Conference, having made 19 out of 23 field goals. Of his attempts that were 50+ yards, he went 3 of 6.

New England Patriots – Rookie Experience

After drawing heavy interest from pro scouts, the New England Patriots traded up to draft Ryland in the 4th round (112th overall pick) in the 2023 NFL draft. During his rookie season, he made 16 out of 25 field goals (64%) and 24 of 25 PATs (96%). On Christmas Eve, in a Week 16 clash with the Denver Broncos, Ryland gave Patriot nation an early gift when he drilled a 56-yard field goal to win the game 26-23. This was a highlight for Ryland during a year when the Patriots struggled to a 4-13 record that led to the departure of legendary coach Bill Belichick.

While the Patriots were trying to figure things out on their end, Ryland continued to put in the work. During the preseason, he got minimal opportunities to kick but was perfect, hitting his only field goal attempt and converting all four of his PATs. However, The Patriots brought into camp Joey Slye, a kicker with experience over the course of five seasons. On August 27th, the Patriots chose to go with Slye, and Ryland fell victim during the final round of roster cuts.

NFL Kicking Reliability

For a comparison of Ryland’s rookie numbers versus the whole of the NFL, here is a look at some available data. During the 2022 NFL season, the cumulative average for kickers making extra points was 94.65%. Additionally, the average field goal distance during the 2021 season was shy of 39 yards. Kickers converted on 85% of those attempts.
So far, during the 2024 campaign, kickers have missed 9 PATs. Only nine kickers are perfect on field goal attempts, while seven have converted on 75% or fewer of their attempts.

Final Thoughts

As a Lebanon native, Ryland has made our community proud. He has shown teens that just because you’re from a small country doesn’t mean you can’t go places. Another team should give him a chance. After all, he’s only 24 years old and has proven himself effective and explosive. Ryland has completed his rookie year and is ready to learn, develop, put in the work, and, most importantly, win. He’s young and has great potential that teams could look at and develop to be a key weapon. He has the potential and motivation to win and show how effective he is. Any team would be lucky to have Ryland, especially since kickers can so easily experience injuries. He will be a star and a top kicker in the NFL. Will his journey restart with the Cardinals?