Patriots Sign Veteran After Cutting Oft-Injured Longshot

The New England Patriots made a move to sign a veteran kicker Tristan Vizcaino after releasing Quinn Nordin. The latter was a good option for the team because his leg game was strong, but the Patriots had to make a chance. According to Evan Lazar from CLNS, Nordin was dealing with a non-football-related injury.

The #Patriots waived K Quinn Nordin with a non-football injury designation. Explains why they made the move.

— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) June 10, 2022

This is a rather tricky situation for the Patriots. They have Nick Folk in the fold. Nordin challenged Folk for the starting job last season and the longtime veteran kicker earned it. Vizcaino will do the same thing this offseason. Head coach Bill Belichick will make him compete with Folk for the starting job again.

Vizcaino is an excellent player and he should give the Patriots the much-needed depth. He has great skills in the NFL and has played well with the Las Vegas Chargers. Vizcaino was also a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers, and Buffalo Bills.

In his nine games in the NFL, Vizcaino tried really hard to show his true potential. Patriots fans will love his 90% accuracy rate on field goals. In his action on the field, Vizcaino did nine of 10 attempts. During his time with the Niners and Chargers, Vizcaino made 12 of 17 in his games.

Patriots sign veteran, Belichick organizes a competition

Folk will make Vizcaino run for the money. He is an experienced veteran and the Patriots trust him enough to keep him around for a really long time. He had his best year in 2020 and was able to make 92.9% of his field goals. His 2021 season was equally successful.

There’s one major factor. Folk will turn 38 and the Patriots will have to take this into consideration. He is a brilliant veteran, but Belichick has to make some plans about the future.

New England will have strong kicking unit in 2022. Players will meet the Carolina Panthers on August 19 and they will have the preseason finale on August 26. Josh McDaniels and his new team will try to beat the Patriots. Interesting, right?