The New England Patriots are making a rare in-season switch at punter.
New England signed practice-squad punter Michael Palardy to the 53-man roster Saturday while placing Jake Bailey on injured reserve.
Bailey has been the Patriots' starting punter since 2019 but is enduring his worst season with the team; his 35.3 net yards per punt rank dead last in the NFL and his 42.1 yards per punt average is the lowest of his career.
Bailey also has been limited in practice this week due to a back injury, and he'll miss at least the next four games while on injured reserve.