Patriots Place K Stephen Gostkowski on IR

The New England Patriots announced that they have placed kicker Stephen Gostkowski on season-ending injured reserve.

Gostkowski injured his quadriceps in Sunday’s 34-14 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Veteran kicker Shayne Graham has been signed to replace Gostkowski on the 53-man roster.

A fourth-round pick (118th overall) out of Memphis in 2006, Gostkowski is 113-for-134 (84.3%) on field goal attempts during his career, and has steadily improved his depth on kickoffs, posting a career-high 21 touchbacks during the 2009 season, a number he was set to shatter this season, with 15 touchbacks through 7+ games.

Gostkowski was named to the Pro Bowl in 2008, and signed a four-year contract extension in August.