Patriots invite rookie punter Devin Bale to mandatory minicamp tryout

New England will open its mandatory minicamp with Arkansas product Devin Bale among the participants, giving the undrafted punter a chance to compete for specialist depth behind Bryce Baringer.

By The Apex Times Newsroom3 min readAI-assisted Apex article

The New England Patriots are set to open mandatory minicamp on Tuesday with a new face in the mix: rookie punter Devin Bale, an Arkansas product who is not currently under contract with the team. The tryout represents a typical offseason audition for specialists, but it also underscores how thin margins can be for teams that carry only one primary punter (and holder) during the season.

Bale arrives after a college career that included stints as both a punter and a part-time holder, along with work on kicks and extra points. According to the report from Yahoo Sports, Bale went unselected in this year’s NFL Draft after previously spending time at Northern Colorado and Arkansas. He then received an invitation to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ rookie minicamp in early May, but left without being offered a contract.

In college, Bale’s production leaned heavily on field-position impact. The Yahoo Sports report described him as a punter and kickoff specialist who played 45 games and totaled 103 punts at Northern Colorado, averaging 41.2 yards per punt. At Arkansas, after redshirting in 2023, he increased his punting average to 45.4 yards over 75 punts, and the team’s special teams involvement expanded to include holding duties (going 3-for-7 on field goals) and accuracy on extra points (14 of 15).

During Bale’s redshirt senior season in 2025, the report said he punted 34 times with a 45.6-yard average, including 11 punts longer than 50 yards. It also noted that he downed 13 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. For kickoff work, the Yahoo Sports account put his college total at 4,152 kickoff yards with 66 touchbacks.

The timing of this invitation matters in the Patriots’ overall offseason structure. Mandatory minicamp is one of the final windows for teams to evaluate players who are not already embedded in the regular-season roster. For a punter, that means showing consistency with hang-time and directional placement, handling pressure snaps, and building timing with the long snapper and coverage unit. It also means demonstrating whether he can be trusted as a holder on a staff that already has an established specialist.

New England, for its part, currently lists Bryce Baringer as its punter. Baringer was described in the Yahoo Sports report as the Patriots’ featured punter and holder throughout his three-year NFL career to date and also as a sixth-round draft choice in 2023. Bale’s presence in Foxborough therefore reads as competition for depth and insurance rather than a clear, immediate change at the top of the depth chart.

What to watch next is whether Bale’s performance during minicamp practice translates into a follow-on roster opportunity. If he can separate himself quickly in the limited evaluation periods, the Patriots could choose to keep him around for training camp or sign him elsewhere if they do not need additional specialist help. In the near term, the minicamp itself will be the first real public measuring stick for his adjustment to the NFL’s pace and operational detail.

Until New England makes a subsequent move public, the most concrete takeaway is that the Patriots continue to monitor specialist value even after the draft. Inviting an undrafted punter to mandatory minicamp is less about headlines and more about risk management, because a position where timing and technique are everything can become decisive in close games.

Why It Matters

Specialists are evaluated on narrow margins, and a minicamp tryout is one of the last chances for teams to test depth options before training camp.
The Patriots’ choice of whether to add another punter affects roster planning, including who is trusted as a holder and who provides insurance on short notice.
For Bale, the tryout is a pathway that can lead to camp competition, a practice-squad look, or a different opportunity if the fit is not there in New England.
Baringer’s established role means Bale’s value will likely be measured by consistency, work with the long snapper, and coverage timing rather than a large role shift immediately.

Sources

Key Facts

Devin Bale, a rookie punter from Arkansas, has been invited to New England’s mandatory minicamp for a tryout.
Bale went undrafted in this year’s NFL Draft and previously received an invitation to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ rookie minicamp in early May but was not offered a contract.
At Arkansas, Bale averaged 45.4 yards on 75 punts and was involved as a part-time holder, going 3-for-7 on field goals and 14-for-15 on extra points.
In 2025, Bale punted 34 times for a 45.6-yard average and downed 13 punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.
The Patriots currently have Bryce Baringer listed as their punter and holder.
Mandatory minicamp is scheduled to open Tuesday, with Bale among the participants not under contract with the team.