Faced with the very real possibility the thigh injury sustained by Stephen Gostkowski on Sunday could cause the kicker to miss time, the Patriots look to be turning their attention to finding a temporary replacement.
A league source tells NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora that free agent Shayne Graham will be among the players New England will work out this week ahead of their Week 10 Sunday night matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Graham was last seen with the New York Giants, where he served as an injury replacement for Lawrence Tynes in Week 7. He was released on October 18.
The 32-year-old had his best seasons with the Bengals. In 2005, he was an All-Pro who became the first Cincinnati kicker to be selected to the Pro Bowl. Graham was 23-for-28 on field-goal attempts with the Bengals in 2009, but his season ended on a low note when he missed two crucial kicks in a first-round playoff loss to the New York Jets.
The Boston Globereported on Monday that Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Gostkowski's leg tightened up during pregame warm ups and it didn't improve. He was being evaluated on Monday.
While the Patriots await word on the severity of the injury, Belichick told the Globe that bringing in another kicker is "a possibility, we'll just see how it goes."
Gostkowski is in his fifth season with the Patriots. He took the reigns from Adam Vinatieri, who signed with the Colts in 2006 after playing a prominent role in New England's three Super Bowl wins.
Gostkowski is 10-for-13 on field goal attempts this season, with a long of 43 yards. The Memphis product's 15 touchbacks ranks him third in the NFL.
