Patriots Release Ryan Allen, Giving Punting Job To Rookie Jake Bailey
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots' punting battle is over. The rookie has won the job.
The team on Monday released veteran punter Ryan Allen, in news first reported by Jim McBride of The Boston Globe.
Allen, 29, originally earned the punting job on the Patriots back in 2013, beating out Zoltan Mesko. Allen has played in all 96 regular-season games and 16 playoff games since then, contributing on Super Bowl-winning teams in 2014, 2016, and 2018.
His job was in jeopardy though in April, when the Patriots traded up to select Jake Bailey out of Stanford. Drafting a punter is a rare enough move, so the Patriots' decision to trade up to select him showed how high they were on the player.
Bailey had a 54-yard punt in the Patriots' preseason win on Saturday in Tennessee, and he also boomed a 67-yard free kick after a safety.
