The New England Patriots find themselves noticeably undermanned going into the 2018 NFL season. As a result, they will be relying on some of their longer-tenured players a bit more this year.

Among them is safety Patrick Chung. According to Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal, the Patriots have experimented with Chung as a punt returner this offseason.

“It’s cool. It’s fun,” Chung said. “You get the ball in your hands and do whatever you need to do, so it’s definitely fun, and I’m going to continue to do it. I never know when my name’s going to be called, so it’s something I need to continue practicing just in case.”

Although he has not had much experience returning punts in the NFL, he is confident that he can do the job.

“I did it in college,” Chung said. “For the most part [I’ve practiced it in the NFL], but I took a year or two off. After that, I’ve always been working on it and [special teams coach] Joe [Judge] always makes sure I go out there in practice and do everything after practice just to make sure.”

It is encouraging to see Chung is optimistic about his new potential role. New England largely relied on wide receiver Danny Amendola to return punts last season. However, he signed with the Miami Dolphins this offseason. The Patriots are now hoping that Chung can be a steady pair of hands for them on special teams.

The veteran has been used as a returner in emergency situations for New England. He handled four punts last season for zero yards. Other players who could also be getting looks this year are wide receiver Julian Edelman and running back Rex Burkhead.