The New England Patriots, after over 20 years of great kickers with Adam Vinatieri and Stephen Gostkowski, have been struggling in recent years to find the next guy.
Nick Folk was signed during Gostkowski's final season in New England after the latter was placed on injured reserve with a hip injury.
He ended up being a consistent kicker for the Patriots (converting 89.3% of his field goals over four seasons), but the team continued to try to find their next young player at the position.
They drafted Marshall's Justin Rohrwasser in the fifth round of the 2020 draft, but he never played a snap for the team.
This past year, they let Folk go and drafted Maryland's Chad Ryland, which turned out to be a horrendous decision. The rookie made just 64% of his field goals in 2023 - the worst of any qualified kicker in the league.
That's why New England should consider signing Jake Bates, who is playing this year for the UFL's Michigan Panthers.
Bates, 24, played collegiately for Texas State and Arkansas before going undrafted in 2023 and signing with the Houston Texans for the offseason.
Through three games with the Panthers so far, Bates has made all five of his field goals, including a 64-yard attempt to beat the St. Louis Battlehawks.
New England should be using the UFL as another path to finding their next kicker, and Bates seems to be one of the best of the group. The worst that can happen is Ryland loses his confidence, and he can't be worse than the last kicker in the league.
