The New England Patriots reportedly planned to work out a few free-agent kickers Wednesday, and the reason for that is becoming more clear.
The Boston Globe's Jim McBride reported Wednesday, citing a league source, that the Patriots are placing starting kicker Stephen Gostkowski on injured reserve.
Gostkowski has not shown up on any injury reports this season, but he has struggled with his kicking accuracy. The 36-year-old veteran has converted on seven of his eight field goal attempts, but he's missed four of his 15 extra point attempts. He's missed on at least one extra point attempt in each of the last three games.
Gostkowski was excellent in the Patriots' Week 1 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He went 4-for-4 on field goals and 3-for-3 on extra points in the season opener. Since that game, however, Gostkowski has connected on just 11 of his 16 kicks (fields goals and extra points combined).
The Patriots already had wide receiver N'Keal Harry, left tackle Isaiah Wynn and fullback James Develin on injured reserve prior to Gostkowski's addition. New England is able to return two of its players from IR, per league rules, so at some point a tough decision(s) might have to be made.
Gostkowski, who was drafted by the Patriots in 2006, is the second-longest tenured player on the roster behind quarterback Tom Brady. He's attempted every kick for the Patriots since the start of the 2011 season.
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