The New England Patriots are reportedly considering some new punter options as veteran special teams man Jake Bailey is struggling so far this season.
The team is expected to host multiple free-agent punters this week as they assess their options, per New England insider Mike Reiss of ESPN.
“One possible scenario is to add a punter to the 16-man practice squad for in-house depth and game-day elevation possibility,” Reiss reports.
The NFL world took to Twitter to react to this news.
“Time to put that Jake Bailey jersey away,” one fan wrote.
“What a disaster of a season,” another said.
“Punter controversy in NE,” another added.
Bailey has been with the Patriots for the last four seasons. In 2020, he averaged 48.7 yards per punt and was named to All-Pro and Pro-Bowl teams. This season, he’s averaging a career-low 43.2 yards per punt — ranking second to last in the NFL above only Colts punter Matt Haack (42.2).