Patriots Cut Punter Bryce Baringer Before He Kicked Once This Season; Vrabel Calls It 'Best for Us and Best for Bryce'

The Patriots released punter Bryce Baringer on Monday, and Mike Vrabel didn't pretend it was easy. "Appreciate what Bryce has been able to do for us," the coach said, according to Patriots Wire. "I think just that was those are tough decisions. I don't think those are things that you necessarily take lightly... We just felt like this was best for us and best for Bryce and give him an opportunity to kind of go punt and see if somebody needs a punter."

Baringer hadn't played a game in 2026. MassLive reported, as summarized by Boston Weekly, that a preseason injury cost him the job. The numbers on his career aren't bad: 219 punts for 10,500 yards, a 47.9-yard average, with 90 downed inside the opponent's 20, per Patriots Wire. New England drafted him in the sixth round in 2023 out of Michigan State, and he played 51 regular-season games from 2023 through 2025, all with the Patriots.

Here's how I read it. A team doesn't cut a healthy-ish punter with a 47.9 average midseason unless it's already decided the guy doing the job now is the guy. Vrabel's "see if somebody needs a punter" line tells you the release was partly a courtesy, getting Baringer onto the market while teams can still use him.

The bigger football problem is up front. The Patriots' offensive line has been thin, with Alijah Vera-Tucker on injured reserve with a hamstring injury and Ben Brown working back from a knee injury, according to Pats Pulpit and WEEI. WEEI reported that guard Greg Van Roten and Ben Brown were expected to practice, and MusketFire reported that Vrabel said safety Dell Pettus could return from injured reserve. The team also signed linebacker Jose Ramirez to the practice squad, Pats Pulpit reported.

The Week 8 depth chart compiled by FantasyTools.ai listed Walter Rouse at left guard and Matt Pryor at right guard, which tells you how much the interior has been shuffled. WEEI called it a "battered" roster with tough decisions coming.

New England plays the Dolphins on Sunday, Nov. 1, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens at 4:25 p.m. ET, according to Sports Illustrated's betting preview.

Dez's take: cutting a punter is not the story of the season. Whether Van Roten is actually back on the field this week is. If he is, Drake Maye gets some help. If he isn't, Miami's pass rush gets a long afternoon.