Former Buffalo Bills punter Mitch Wishnowsky isn't leaving the AFC East.
The New England Patriots are signing Wishnowsky to their practice squad, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, two days after the Bills released him and gave their punting job to rookie Tommy Doman.
Wishnowsky is in New England for a physical Monday and will provide insurance for Patriots punter Bryce Baringer, whose status for the start of the regular season is uncertain because of an injury.
The move comes after Wishnowsky lost a training camp competition that didn't give the Bills much to evaluate at first.
Buffalo didn't punt once in its preseason opener against Carolina. Wishnowsky and Doman finally got their opportunities over the final two games, and the Bills stuck
with Doman, who they selected with the No. 239 overall pick in April's NFL Draft.
Wishnowsky punted three times for 127 yards (42.3 avg.) during the preseason, putting one inside the 20-yard line. WIshnowsky's first punt in Thursday's finale against Pittsburgh went just 19 yards and gave the Steelers the ball at Buffalo's 28-yard line.
Doman had seven punts for 338 yards (48.3 avg.) with four downed inside the 20.
Wishnowsky joined Buffalo five weeks into the 2025 season and averaged 45.3 yards per punt with a 41.9-yard net average on 38 attempts. He put 18 punts inside the 20.
The Bills brought him back on a one-year contract before drafting Doman in the seventh round.
Wishnowsky, 34, spent his first six NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers after they selected him in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
New England's punting situation has been unsettled since Baringer was injured during the preseason. The Patriots signed another former Bills punter, Matt Haack, on Aug. 24 as insurance. Haack was Buffalo's punter in 2021.
The Patriots released Haack during final roster cuts Sunday while keeping Baringer on their initial 53-man roster.
Wishnowsky could be elevated from the practice squad if Baringer isn't ready to punt when New England opens the regular season.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Punter released by Bills signs with Patriots' practice squad
