One day after placing Stephen Gostkowski on injured reserve, the New England Patriots will be signing a new kicker. While it’s not quite the addition of a skill position player or a Jalen Ramsey – it’s one of the most important phases in a game of football.
Therefore, the Patriots will be signing Mike Nugent according to league sources. This report comes via Adam Schefter on twitter.
Patriots plan to go with veteran kicker Mike Nugent, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 3, 2019
New England will be the eighth stop in Nugent’s career. He has hit 253 of 311 on field goal attempts lifetime, and now becomes the fourth kicker during Bill Belichicks tenure.
The Patriots worked out a litany of other kickers for the spot including Kai Forbath, Blair Walsh, Elliot Fry, Matthew Wright, Younghoe Koo and Josh Gable. However, Belichick and company decided to go with the most experienced of the group.
Furthermore, Gostkowski has been the Patriots kicker since 2006. Nugent has been kicking in the league since 2005. While this seems like a long time, consider it’s a decade after Tom Brady began wearing his shoulder pads.
Of course the take home message here is it’s a move that likely works out for New England. Belichick picked up the guy who is least likely to blow a kick in a big spot. Special teams are a phase of the game that Belichick seems to take special pleasure in the execution of. While Nugent might not have the biggest leg – this is a sign that the Patriots feel he is the most dependable.
Finally, think about how the Patriots play when it’s late in the game and they need a few yards. It’s not like they settle for a long field goal often. Usually Belichick becomes one of the rare coaches who just goes for it, whether it be the first down or the touchdown. Nugent can handle the kicks he will be asked to make.
