The New England Patriots are opening their mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, and among the participants is one player not under contract with the team. Rookie punter Devin Bale is in town for a tryout.
Bale spent his college career at Northern Colorado and Arkansas, but went unselected in this year’s NFL Draft. He did receive an invitation to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ rookie minicamp in early May, but left without being offered a contract.
A punter and kickoff specialist, Bale played 45 games at the college
level. At Northern Colorado, he punted the ball 103 times and averaged 41.2 yards per kick. Upon starting his Razorbacks career in earnest in 2024 — he redshirted during his first year at Arkansas in 2023 — he improved that average to 45.4 yards on 75 punts. In addition, he was a part-time holder, went 3-for-7 on field goals, and hit 14 of 15 extra point tries.
During his redshirt senior campaign in 2025, the 6-foot-3, 205-pounder punted 34 times for an average of 45.6 yards per punt. He finished his final season in college with 11 punts of more than 50 yards, 13 downed inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, and 66 kickoff for 4,152 total yards and 47 touchbacks.
The Patriots currently have one punter on their roster, Bryce Baringer. A sixth-round draft choice in 2023, Baringer has been New England’s featured punter and holder throughout his three-year career in the NFL so far.
