The Jets will indeed have a new kicker Thursday night…they just don’t yet know who.
Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Gang Green are signing both Riley Patterson and Spencer Shrader to the practice squad, and one of them will be elevated to be the kicker in Thursday’s game against the Texans, as Greg Zuerlein has been placed on injured reserve with a knee injury.
The team had planned to bring in kickers for workouts after Greg Zuerlein missed both a PAT and a field goal attempt in Sunday’s loss to New England – and as it turns out, that total was seven, with Patterson and Shrader joining Cade York (who worked out for the Jets two weeks ago as well), Zane Gonzalez, Brayden Narveson, and Andre Szmyt.
However, Zuerlein, who at 9-for-15 (60%) has the lowest field goal percentage in the league, ended up on this week’s injury report due to his left knee, which is his plant leg, and is now headed to injured reserve to ‘get his knee right.’
To accommodate the practice squad moves, the team signed LB Marcelino McCrary-Ball to the active roster and released S Jaylen Key from the practice squad.
Patterson spent training camp with the Commanders, going 2-for-3 on field goals before he was released, and he worked out for the Jets two weeks ago when they first considered replacing Zuerlein. The 25-year-old has played 39 NFL games with the Lions, Jaguars, and Browns between 2021-23, making 88 percent of FG attempts and 96 percent of PATs.
Shrader, 25, was undrafted this spring after four years at South Florida and one at Notre Dame. He was on the Colts’ practice squad and was elevated for Week 1, making all three of his PAT attempts and booting all five of his kickoffs for touchbacks, but he was released from Indy’s P-squad on Oct. 16.
As for the other new additions, McCray-Ball was on the active roster for three games this season (Weeks 3-5), seeing 53 special teams snaps, and he took 19 special teams snaps in two games for the Jets last year as well. Key, who was Mr. Irrelevant in the 2024 Draft, has spent most of this season on the practice squad.