ASHBURN, Va. — After a disappointing performance against the Dolphins in Week 2 of the preseason, the Commanders announced Thursday that the team has parted ways with kicker Riley Patterson.
In last week's game in Miami, the Commanders lost 13-6. Patterson went 2 for 4 on the night, connecting from 46 and 38 yards and missing from 49 and 43. It's not clear who will take Patterson's place in Sunday's game against the New England Patriots. He had a rough overall training camp and preseason, going two for six in field goal attempts.
The team released its other kicker Ramiz Ahmed following Week 1 of the preseason.
At training camp Thursday, the team went without a kicker, with an assistant coach actually stepping in during the field goal portion of practice and going through the motions.
But help could be on the way. The Commanders acquired kicker Cade York form the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a conditional 7th round draft pick next year.
“Can’t wait to see him in, I’ve heard that he’s just crazy talented," said Commanders punter Tress Way. "He was in Cleveland with ‘Hop’ (Dustin Hopkins) and 'Hop' said he’s got some serious juice, so it will be fun to see him hit some balls.”
York was picked in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft by the Browns. He started three years at Louisiana State University before that. One of York's top plays during his rookie campaign was nailing a 58-yard game-winning field goal against the Carolina Panthers.
After his rookie year, York was released by the Browns and bounced around the league before re-signing with Cleveland last year.
Patterson's release is just the first of many roster cuts that are upcoming.
Immediately after the game against New England, the roster has to be cut down from 90 players to 53. Head coach Dan Quinn says it’s not his favorite time.
“[It's] the toughest part of the job because so many people are going for it, at the highest level," the coach said. "But the conversation about the roster is always ongoing with [General Manager] Adam [Peters] and I, and how do we find the group together.”