New England designated Bailey (back) to return from injured reserve Wednesday, Chris Mason of The Springfield Republican reports.
Bailey missed the minimum four games while on IR due to a back injury but returned to practice Wednesday, starting a 21-day clock for him to be added to the active roster. It's currently unclear if Bailey will be active for Week 16, but if he is, the Patriots will presumably move on from Michael Palardy, who'd been operating as the team's holder and punter over the past month.