The Patriots during the offseason made Jake Bailey one of the NFL’s highest-paid punters. So far, their investment hasn’t been rewarded.
As Bailey continues to struggle, New England will work out punters this week to “assess” its options, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported Wednesday morning. Reiss added the Patriots could add a punter to the practice squad to serve as depth and possible game-day elevation.
Bailey hasn’t been good all season but was especially bad in Monday night’s loss to the Chicago Bears at Gillette Stadium.
The fourth-year pro had two punts of 44 yards, one of 36 yards and one late in the third quarter that went 33 yards before being returned 27 yards. The Bears later scored a touchdown to effectively put the game away.
Through seven weeks, Bailey is Pro Football Focus’ 27th-ranked punter in the NFL. The 25-year-old ranks 32nd in net punting average, 32nd in average hang time, 31st in yards per punt and 22nd in percentage of punts returned.
A fifth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Bailey battled injuries last season in what was a down campaign for the 2020 All-Pro. The Patriots clearly thought injuries factored into his production, as evidenced by the four-year, $13.5 million contract extension. A return to excellence can’t be ruled out for a player who only two years ago arguably was the NFL’s best punter, but Bailey’s job is to control field position and he’s done a poor job of that since the start of last season.
He’ll look to get back on track this Sunday when the Patriots visit the New York Jets, who have one of the league’s top defenses.
