Sam Martin has been a reliably above-average punter for most of his seven NFL seasons, all with the Detroit Lions. But Martin is a pending free agent and in all likelihood will not be back for an eighth year in Detroit.
The Lions will have several options to replace Martin, who ranks 10th all-time in average yards per punt at 46.0. In fact, the solution might already be in Detroit.
Earlier this offseason the Lions signed two free agent punters to reserve/future contracts. Jack Fox and Matt Wile deserve to compete for the job, and both are familiar with the team already. Fox and Wile both had stints on the team’s practice squad in 2019.
Fox gets a leg up (no pun intended) because, like Martin, he’s capable of also being the kickoff specialist. That’s important because placekicker Matt Prater does not handle kickoff duties all that well.
In free agency, veterans Britton Colquitt, Matt Bosher and Lac Edwards are all on the market with Martin. Edwards led the NFL in both punt attempts and yards in 2019 while booming kicks at a 45.9-yard average for the New York Jets. Colquitt, 35, spent last season with the Minnesota Vikings and has earned his reputation for being the best coffin-corner punter in the NFL over his long career.
It’s unlikely the Lions will draft a punter, though that was also said back in 2013 when then-GM Martin Mayhew tabbed Martin in the sixth round. Some of the top-rated punters in the 2020 NFL Draft include Joseph Charlton of South Carolina, Texas A&M’s Braden Mann and Arryn Siposs from Auburn, whom the Lions saw in person at the Tigers pro day last week.