The Miami Dolphins went into the offseason with a hole at punter, as Thomas Morstead, who held the role in 2022, was hitting free agency.
Then, just minutes after Morstead announced he was signing with the New York Jets, the Dolphins went out and replaced him with former New England Patriots punter Jake Bailey.
While Morstead was solid for Miami last season, they’re getting younger at the position, giving them a chance to have some sustained success at a position that they haven’t had it in some time.
Before Bailey gets on the field in aqua and orange, here are a few things fans should know about him.
Peaks
Bailey entered the league with the Patriots back in 2019, and, just one year later he was voted into the Pro Bowl and named a First-Team All-Pro. That season, he had career highs in yards per punt (48.7), net yards per punt (45.6) and percentage of punts downed inside the 20-yard-line (56.4%).
Miami hopes he can recapture that magic in 2023.
Injury
Bailey missed games for the first time in his career in 2022, as he made only nine appearances due to a back injury. He was placed on injured reserve after their Week 9 game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Back injuries are serious for everyone, especially athletes playing at the highest levels. The punter explained that he believes the issue was the emphasis on squatting.
Hopefully, that issue doesn’t plague him again, and he can have a healthy career.
Grievances
While Bailey was on injured reserve last year, he was suspended by the Patriots for an unknown reason. His agent, Doug Hendrickson, claimed that the punter never missed treatment, meetings or practice.
Bailey and his agent filed a grievance against New England, which was likely the reason that he was released this offseason. However, the grievance does appear to be settled.
Per NFLPA records, the outcome of P Jake Bailey’s grievance over his 2-game suspension and voiding of guarantees:
*Grievance withdrawn
*Patriots owe no $
*Patriots take cap hit of $2.37m
*Get cap credit of $44,444 from ‘22
*Bailey hit FA 5 days early
*Signed 1-year, $1.23m w/MIA— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) March 25, 2023
Familiarity
During his time with the Patriots, Bailey had some of the best gunners in the game covering his punts for him. 10-time Pro Bowler Matthew Slater and three-time Pro Bowler Justin Bethel were mainly the two responsible for those duties, with Brendan Schooler doing some of that work in 2022.
In Miami, Bailey is reunited with Bethel, who signed a deal to return to the Dolphins this offseason. That familiarity should make things a little easier for him as he moves to South Florida.
