The first domino has fallen in one of the hotly contested position battles for the Patriots 53-man roster. The team is releasing veteran punter Ryan Allen and handing over the duties to rookie Jake Bailey from Stanford.
The move essentially clears the way for Bailey to get the work needed to prepare for the regular season by getting all of the punting reps as well as the holds for extra points and field goals. And by releasing Allen now, Bill Belichick does the veteran a solid move by allowing him to find a new job right away. One would not expect Allen to be unemployed for very long.