Pats talking with punter Player

The Patriots have been in conversations with veteran punter Scott Player about the possibility of joining the club. The 38-year-old Player would compete with incumbent Chris Hanson.

Player, whose appearance is distinctive in that he uses a single-bar facemask and sports a blonde Fu Man Chu, spent nine seasons with the Arizona Cardinals (1998-2006).

He punted in only three games last year, all coming for the Browns, who needed a short-term injury replacement for Dave Zastudil. One of those games came at Gillette Stadium against the Patriots, when he had five attempts for a 46.2-yard average and 34.4-yard net (2 touchbacks, 1 inside-the-20).

The conversations between the Patriots and Player were first noted by Channel 5 in Boston.

The Patriots also had veteran punter Mitch Berger in for a tryout on Tuesday.