The New England Patriots are heading into the 2020 season with many changes ahead of them. Tom Brady’s departure is the most apparent, but losing Stephen Gostkowski sits up there on the list.
Gostkowski missed most of the 2019 season with a hip injury and the Patriots released him this offseason after spending his 14 NFL years with the team. New England relied on Gostkowski and Adam Vinatieri to hold the position down since 1996 and last year was the first glimpse without either player on the field — and it was ugly.
New England trotted out four different kickers throughout the season and didn’t stick with any of them by the end of the season. Moving forward, they drafted Justin Rohrwasser in the fifth round of the NFL Draft. He spent two seasons at Marshall and finished his senior year with 18-of-21 field goals made and 35-of-36 extra point attempts made.
The most important thing Rohrwasser boasts is his tendency to make long kicks.
So, should the Patriots add some competition on the kicking department, or is Rohrwasser the solidified starter going forward?
Given the fact that Rohrwasser was the first kicker drafted this year, and the Patriots haven’t signed a free agent yet — no. Bill Belichick has clearly done his research on Rohrwasser and viewed him as the best option available for the team going forward. Belichick had faith in fifth-round punter Jake Bailey last year and released six-year veteran Ryan Allen — who won three Super Bowls with the team. Bailey quickly proved his worth.
There is still a handful of veteran free agents available, a few of which played for the Patriots in the past. There are and there will be options for the Patriots to select if Rohrwasser doesn’t pan out, but the need to force his hand with competition isn’t there.
Rohrwasser has the trust of Belichick and the resume to back it up, so the job should remain his and solely his until he loses it.
