Patriots promote veteran punter Michael Palardy to 53-man roster as Jake Bailey heads to injured reserve

The New England Patriots have signed veteran punter Michael Palardy to the 53-man roster from the practice squad ahead of Sunday’s AFC East rematch with the New York Jets.

To make room, the team placed incumbent Jake Bailey on injured reserve after a back issue left him listed as doubtful on the final Week 11 injury report.

Palardy, 30, joined New England’s practice squad to begin November following a workout. The 2014 undrafted free agent out of the University of Tennessee has appeared in 72 NFL games through stints with the then-Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams as well as the Carolina Panthers, Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins. He has averaged 45.2 yards per punt and set a career long from 65 yards last regular season.

“He’s been a good punter, a good athlete,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said of the 5-foot-11, 200-pound Palardy on Friday. “High school quarterback, kicked off, punted.”

Bailey, 25, has served as New England’s punter, holder and kickoff specialist since arriving in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL draft. But through nine games this campaign, Bailey ranked last in the league with an average of 42.1 yards per punt and a net average of 35.3 yards per punt. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Stanford product earned Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors in 2020. He reached a four-year, $13.5 million contract extension in August.

No standard elevations were made from the practice squad in advance of Sunday’s 1 p.m. ET kickoff at Gillette Stadium.

The Patriots previously placed defensive tackle Christian Barmore on injured reserve and signed rookie center Kody Russey to the active roster in a corresponding move.