The Patriots have moved on from Bryce Baringer, and Mike Vrabel says the decision was about giving the punter a better path forward while locking in the best option for New England right now.
Baringer, the team’s punter over the last three seasons and a 2023 sixth-round pick, was released off injured reserve on Monday. That move officially shifts the job to Mitch Wishnowsky, who stepped in as Baringer’s injury replacement and has now taken over the position.
Vrabel laid out the thinking behind the move on Monday.
“It’s just give him an opportunity to go kick and have an opportunity to go work out. There’s a lot of things that he’ll be able to do now not being on IR,” Vrabel explained on Monday.
He added that the Patriots felt the decision worked on both sides.
“We just felt like this was best for us, best for Bryce, and to give him an opportunity to go punt and see if somebody needs a punter. If we would need him back and he was there, then we would want to have him back. You just make a decision with a specialist, and as long as it’s going well, which I think it is, and everybody else does, you just stick with it.”
Baringer’s exit comes after he had appeared in 55 regular season and playoff games combined from 2023 through 2025. He opened this year’s training camp as the only punter on the roster, but his season took a turn in the second preseason game, when an injury sidelined him and forced rookie quarterback Behren Morton to handle punting duties.
Matt Haack was the first player brought in to cover for Baringer, though he was released again at roster cutdown. Once Baringer went to IR, Wishnowsky first joined the practice squad and then moved onto the active roster.
With Wishnowsky performing well, Baringer became the odd man out.
“I certainly appreciate what Bryce has been able to do for us,” said Vrabel. “Those are tough decisions. I don’t think those are things that you’d necessarily take lightly.”
Vrabel also made it clear that the Patriots are comfortable with Wishnowsky in the role for the rest of 2026.
“Mitch, he’s punted a lot of games in the National Football League. He’s punted, could flip the field,” Vrabel said about the 34-year-old.
“I think that he gets it off quickly. I think the plus-50s have improved.
He’s got different punts and different kicks that he uses, and I think he’s been pretty consistent. I think the hang time’s been pretty good.”
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