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The Patriots should be all over this Bills’ free agent player

By Lou Scataglia

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 31: Jake Bailey #7 and Nick Folk #6 of the New England Patriots celebrate after kicking a field goal in the second quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on October 31, 2021 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 31: Jake Bailey #7 and Nick Folk #6 of the New England Patriots celebrate after kicking a field goal in the second quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on October 31, 2021 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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The New England Patriots have a few needs on their roster, and just because it isn’t on the offense or defense, doesn’t mean it isn’t important.  One aspect of the special teams’ unit was nothing but a disaster in 2022, and that would be the punting game.

Safe to say the punting was not up to snuff for the Patriots.  After back to back stellar seasons, it appeared as though Patriots’ punter Jake Bailey settled into the NFL after being drafted back in 2019.  Unfortunately, after inking an extension with the team, Bailey regressed quite a bit.

He was just about the worst punter in the NFL this year, averaging just 42.1 yards per punt and only 35.2 yards net.  There are a bunch of punters who had a higher net average than Bailey’s yards per punt.

Because of the position, even though Bailey just inked a new deal, New England can get out of it quite easily, and they should turn their attention to Buffalo Bills’ free agent Sam Martin, who was with the Broncos before being cut in favor of Corliss Waitman.

Martin latched onto the Bills and had one of the best seasons of his career, averaging 47.7 yards per boot and 42.1 yards net, which was Bailey’s yards per punt.  35.6% of Martin’s punts landed inside the 20 yard line and he had five touchbacks.

Overall, Martin was one of the better punters in the NFL and has been a quality punter for most of his career.  He’s just about to turn 33 years old, so he isn’t a long-term option, but it’s clear that the teams ST unit needs to get better.

It’s perhaps a more underrated issue but is one that can greatly sway the impact of games.  Being that the team is in a great division in the AFC East, it would be wise for the team to do whatever they can to improve their roster, and that includes investing in the special team’s unit.

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