The New England Patriots opted to part ways with their punter of the last three seasons, Bryce Baringer, on Monday. The 2023 sixth-round draft pick was released off of injured reserve.
Why did the team make the move, though, that officially hands the keys to the position over to injury replacement Mitch Wishnowsky? For Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, it was a combination of factors.
“It’s just give him an opportunity to go kick and have an opportunity to go work out. There’s a lot of things that he’ll be able to do now not being on IR,” Vrabel explained on Monday.
“We just felt like this was best for us, best for Bryce, and to give him an opportunity to go punt and see if somebody needs a punter. If we would need him back and he was there, then we would want to have him back. You just make a decision with a specialist, and as long as it’s going well, which I think it is, and everybody else does, you just stick with it.”
After appearing in a combined 55 regular season and playoff games between 2023 and 2025, Baringer entered this year’s training camp as the only punter on the Patriots’ roster. He remained so until suffering an injury in the second preseason game (one that prompted rookie quarterback Behren Morton to assume punting duties).
Matt Haack was the first player brought in to replace Baringer, but he was let go again at the roster cutdown deadline. With Baringer them moving to IR, Wishnowsky was added first to the practice squad and then the active roster.
With him performing well, Baringer apparently became expendable.
“I certainly appreciate what Bryce has been able to do for us,” said Vrabel. “Those are tough decisions. I don’t think those are things that you’d necessarily take lightly.”
Even though the door on a return does not appear to be closed, the Patriots have made it clear that — at least for the remainder of 2026 — Wishnowsky is their man at the punter position.
“Mitch, he’s punted a lot of games in the National Football League. He’s punted, could flip the field,” Vrabel said about the 34-year-old. “I think that he gets it off quickly. I think the plus-50s have improved. He’s got different punts and different kicks that he uses, and I think he’s been pretty consistent. I think the hang time’s been pretty good.”