Just a few weeks from the beginning of the season, the New England Patriots likely have nearly all of their final roster penciled in. One thing that can throw a wrench in roster plans is injuries, and one key special teamer was cursed with exactly that.
After Bryce Baringer's second punt in the team's second preseason game against the Eagles, he reportedly felt tightness, leaving third-string rookie quarterback Behren Morton to punt for the rest of the game.
Morton did an admirable job for a non-punter, averaging 44.3 yards per punt with a touchback, but it shouldn't come as a surprise that the Patriots added a punter.
On Monday, the team signed journeyman punter Matt Haack, a 32-year-old who entered the league in 2017 as an undrafted rookie out of Arizona State.
Haack spent four seasons with the Dolphins before signing with the Bills ahead of the 2021 season. He spent 2022 with the Colts and has had nine stints with eight different teams since 2023. He punted for only three of those eight teams, however: the Browns, Giants, and Cardinals.
A punter competition could brew in the first weeks of the regular season
The Patriots' special teams have been a hallmark of their success since the Belichick days, and while Andy Borregales' struggles were at the forefront of early preseason conversations, the unit has generally been quite good.
While Baringer has been a consistent contributor for the special teams unit over the last three seasons, it isn't ridiculous to think Haack could win the job in 2026. Last season, the former Michigan State punter had a career-low 51 punts during the regular season, putting 21 of those inside the 20 (41.18%) and averaging 47.4 yards. His net average, 40.4, was a career low.
In the playoffs, Baringer struggled. He punted 27 times across four games, putting 10 inside the 20 (37.04%) and averaging 41.6 yards. His net average dipped even lower to 38.9 yards.
While the snowy conditions in Denver no doubt affected him, he wasn't particularly effective when isolating the team's other three games. On 19 punts, he averaged 43.1 yards, a drop from his regular-season average.
Haack averaged 51.3 yards last season with the Cardinals on 25 punts. Albeit a small sample size, that's better than Baringer, and his 43.4 net average is better than Baringer has ever had in a season.
Baringer is likely set to miss multiple regular season games, giving Haack a window to steal the job. Considering Baringer is in the final year of his deal, the Patriots have a decision to make at the end of the season regarding the future independent of his injury, meaning Haack punting at a high level, as he did last year, may lead to the 32-year-old getting the nod for the rest of the season.
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