Right now there’s only one punter on the roster, but should another one be added?
The Eagles are heading into training camp with one their most complete rosters in years, but when I asked what position group still needs some depth, several people pointed to the punting unit — which as it stands is just one guy, Arryn Siposs.
While Siposs has only played one season in Philadelphia, the punter position overall hasn’t had much competition in recent years. For three seasons, 2018-2020, the job was Cameron Johnston’s, and for the five seasons before that, 2013-2017, the job was firmly Donnie Jones’. Siposs had an uneven 2021, but is it time to bring in a little motivation?
Jones played in 80 games for the Eagles and averaged 45.4 yards per put during his five seasons. The veteran lost out in 2018 when Johnston was signed and impressed right away. Johnston ended up being one of the league’s top punters during his time in Philly, and was averaged 47.0 yards per punt before signing a multi-year deal with the Texans. Meanwhile, in 2021, Siposs averaged just 43.9 yards per punt.
One thing’s for sure, head coach Nick Sirianni does not shy away from competition. It’s one of his core values. He loves competition and encourages it throughout the ranks, so it wouldn’t be far fetched at all for Sirianni to add someone to compete for the punting job.
At this point of the offseason, there are only a handful of free agents still available at the position — I doubt that Howie Roseman would trade for someone who might ultimately not even make the roster — including Bradley Pinion, Michael Palardy, Dustin Colquitt, Lachlan Edwards, Ty Long, and Hunter Niswander. While a veteran punter might be able to come in and help develop Siposs, Colquitt is 40 and probably not worth it. Palardy and Edwards are 30 and might make sense, and Edwards would be the cheaper of the two.
I’m still not convinced that the Eagles need to have a competition at the punting position, but Siposs does need to make a big leap during training camp and preseason in order to solidify his role.
Do the Eagles need to have a punter competition?
Let us know in the comments!