Report: Patriots working out free-agent kickers amid Stephen Gostkowski’s struggles

Stephen Gostkowski is in his 14th season with the New England Patriots. But so far this year, his results have been mixed.

While Gostkowski has made a respectable 7-of-8 field goals through four weeks, he has already missed four extra points and is just 11-of-15 overall on those kicks. So far, that hasn't cost the Patriots a game, but he missed one last week against the Buffalo Bills that made their 16-10 victory just a little bit tighter down the stretch than the team wanted.

Tom Brady downplays Gostkowski's early-season struggles

Gostkowski has been blaming himself for his issues, and it seems that he just needs to break out of what appears to be a mini-slump. On Wednesday, the Patriots may be giving him a little extra motivation to do so.

According to ESPN's Mike Reiss, the Patriots are working out kickers on Wednesday afternoon as part of their normal week-to-week updates of their emergency lists.

The Patriots are working out some free-agent kickers today, which is consistent with their due-diligence approach at all positions to keep emergency lists updated. Veteran Stephen Gostkowski has missed four P.A.T.s this year, which adds a layer of context to the kicker workouts.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) October 2, 2019

Of course, as Reiss noted, this is likely just due diligence on the part of the Patriots. They'll want to see what's out there on the off-chance that Gostkowski gets hurt.

Still, the possibility of the team switching kickers if Gostkowski's struggles continue can't be discounted. Perhaps one of the players they're working out impresses. And if that happens, they could consider signing them in the near future if Gostkowski can't break out of his slump.