Patriots stash P Bryce Baringer on IR, add Wishnowsky as insurance
Baringer must sit at least four games after a preseason injury, and New England grabbed ex-Bill Mitch Wishnowsky for the practice squad.
Waiver-claim TE with zero career production — deep-league dart at best.
- Baringer to IR, out at least first 4 games
- Wishnowsky signed to PS after Bills cut him
- No punter added to the 53-man roster
- LB Khalil Jacobs also placed on IR
- TE Cameron Latu claimed off waivers
New England placed punter Bryce Baringer on injured reserve Monday after he got hurt in the team's final preseason game, meaning he'll miss at least the first four weeks before he's eligible to return. Rather than carry a replacement leg on the 53-man roster, the Patriots kept the spot open and stashed veteran Mitch Wishnowsky on the practice squad — one day after Buffalo cut him loose.
The Baringer news headlines a busy roster-churn day in New England. The team also put linebacker Khalil Jacobs on IR, released linebacker K.J. Britt and center Ben Brown, and claimed two players off waivers: tight end Cameron Latu and linebacker Darius Muasau. Those moves left the Patriots with a pair of open active-roster spots to work with.
On top of that, New England stacked its practice squad with familiar faces from final cuts — safety Mike Brown, receivers Kyle Dixon and Cameron Dorner, defensive tackles Eric Gregory and Jeremiah Pharms Jr., running backs Hassan Haskins and Lan Larison, tackle Lorenz Metz, offensive linemen Jacob Rizy, cornerback Kindle Vildor, and linebacker Riley Wilson. Wishnowsky's arrival gives them a real body at punter without eating a roster spot they'd rather use on offense or defense.
The Fantasy Fallout
Punters don't move the fantasy needle, so Baringer's IR stint is a roster-mechanics story more than a lineup one. The name worth flagging for deep-league managers is Latu, the tight end the Patriots claimed off waivers. He appeared in 15 games in 2025 and put up zero PPR points that season — an actual result, not a projection — and he currently sits unranked in our model.
Translation: there's nothing to chase here yet. New England's tight end room is crowded and Latu has never produced fantasy value, so he's a name to file away, not a Week 1 add. Keep your waiver claims for backfield or receiver upside and let the Patriots sort out their special teams and depth chart before you spend anything on this group.
