The New England Patriots have always prioritized their special teams unit. 2025 was no different, with Jeremy Springer earning an extension after the third phase's exceptional play. Rookie Andy Borregales was perfect on extra points after Week 2, while rookie Julian Ashby played every game as the team's long snapper.
Brenden Schooler continued his excellent special teams play, and Dell Pettus' role increased. In the return game, Marcus Jones had three punt return touchdowns, and Antonio Gibson added a kick return touchdown in Week 2.
Bryce Baringer was a sound punter during the regular season. On 51 punts, he averaged 47.4 yards per punt (17th), and roughly half ended up as touchbacks or landed inside the 20. His longest punt of the year was 73 yards (T-4th).
His playoffs, however, were a different story. Baringer punted 27 times across four playoff games, averaging only 41.6 yards, the worst among playoff punters. His long of 55 yards was 10th in the postseason, and only about 40% of his punts ended up as touchbacks or landed inside the 20.
The Patriots could look to add Ray Guy winner Brett Thorson to replace Bryce Baringer
Baringer's four playoff games were certainly a drop off, and while it may be harsh, finding an alternative option through the draft isn't an impossibility. The Patriots hold five picks in the final two rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft, so it doesn't seem unreasonable that they add competition with one of those picks. The top candidate? Georgia's Brett Thorson.
2025 Ray Guy winner Brett Thorson has been an excellent punter for the Bulldogs over the last four years. The Australian has punted for over 7,000 yards from 156 punts, a 45.6 career average. Half of his punts from last season landed inside the 20, a rate less than ten NFL punters from last season can flex.
While Thorson is an award-winning punter, a punter from Baringer's alma mater, Michigan State, could also be a savvy selection. Ryan Eckley led the NCAA in yards per punt and also eclipsed the 7,000 yards mark over his last three seasons, and could be what New England needs to upgrade their special teams.
The Patriots have the ability to make a change at punter should they want to, but I'm unsure if it's the best use of resources. They have 11 picks in the upcoming draft, so throwing the 247th selection, for example, at competition for Baringer wouldn't be the worst idea, but looking into the UDFA market seems a smarter route.
Since 2022, three punters have been selected in the fourth round. If Thorson is what he's made out to be, then a team investing a top 150 pick doesn't seem unreasonable. While the Patriots could stand to add competition, making such a heavy investment in the position doesn't seem sensible at this point.
Next offseason, Baringer will be a free agent, and perhaps then it would be justifiable to invest such premium capital into special teams. Until then, however, applying pressure via a UDFA signing or two would look to be the best remedy.