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There are expected to be a lot of changes in the New England Patriots locker room before the 2024 season gets underway. The coaching staff has already seen significant turnover, most notably with Jerod Mayo replacing Bill Belichick as head coach. But what will the New England roster look like in the fall? Some of that will be determined by players not currently on the team. The NFL Draft and free agency will both bring new faces to Foxboro. But what about the players from 2023? Patriots Football Now will break down all potential 2024 roster players in “Patriots Roster Breakdown” before Week 1 arrives in September.
Today’s Patriots Roster Breakdown featured player is Bryce Baringer.
Bryce Baringer
The New England Patriots selected Bryce Baringer in the sixth round (No. 192 overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft. Baringer played college football for the Michigan State Spartans. Baringer appeared in 36 career games for Michigan State. He held down the full-time job his final two seasons there.
Baringer led the Big Ten in punting average in 2021 (48.4). He upped his average to 49.0 yards per punt the following season, good enough to lead the entire nation. This helped earn Baringer consensus first-time All-American honors in 2022.
Bryce Baringer starts the season with a 68 yard bomb for @MSU_Football.
pic.twitter.com/d7sh0UgoLC
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 2, 2022
Bryce Baringer had a solid season in New England as a rookie. His punting stats were generally in the middle of the NFL pack. He ranked No. 19 in average (46.9), No. 21 in return percentage (44..9%), and No. 23 in net average (40.8). Baringer had the third most punts inside the 20-yard line (39) but also had the fourth most touchbacks with eight. He had no punts blocked in 98 attempts. Baringer’s average hangtime was near the bottom of the league, ranking 29 at 4.22 seconds, despite some booming kicks.
Pro Football Focus ranked Baringer 20 out of 33 qualified NFL punters last season.
Contract Status
Bryce Baringer still has three years remaining on his rookie contract with the Patriots.
Punter Competition
New England brought veteran free agent Corliss Waitman into training camp to compete with Bryce Baringer last season. Baringer ended up winning the job, with Waitman coming back to the practice squad for about five weeks after he was initially waived. As of now, Baringer is the only punter under contract with the team.
Outlook for Bryce Baringer
The Patriots will look for Baringer to improve upon his rookie campaign in 2023. He was good, not great, but he showed flashes of being able to get to the next level. He also handled the holding duties for kicker Chad Ryland. Although Ryland struggled last season, holds were not the issue.
Bryce Baringer could stay at his current level and be a solid NFL punter on a rookie contract. He can still be even more than that. Expect Baringer to be part of the New England Patriots roster for the foreseeable future. Patriots fans and coaches are hoping to see less of him in 2024. Coming off the fifth most punts for a rookie in NFL history, the quality might improve, but the quantity shouldn’t.
More must-reads:
- Jerry Rice's son drafted by AFC West team in seventh round
- 10 notable steals from the 2024 NFL Draft
- The '100 catches in an NFL season' quiz
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