The Los Angeles Rams opted not to re-sign Riley Dixon following a subpar 2022 season, allowing him to leave in free agency. He returned to the Denver Broncos and now the Rams are looking for his replacement.
With no punters currently on the roster, the Rams will need to find one sooner rather than later. The New York Jets are giving them another option after they cut Braden Mann on Thursday. That came after they attempted to trade him.
Mann was a sixth-round pick in 2020 and remained the Jets’ primary punter for the last three seasons. However, they signed Thomas Morstead this offseason, so they didn’t need to keep two punters on the roster.
The #Jets have released P Braden Mann.
— NYJ Communications (@NYJetsPR) April 13, 2023
He did improve from year to year, going from 43.9 yards per punt in 2020 to 46.9 this past season, but his net average remained 40.6 in the last two seasons. His tenure in New York was up-and-down in terms of pinning opponents deep, too.
He had just one touchback in 2021 but also downed only 14 punts inside the 20-yard line. Last season, he had eight touchbacks but downed 27 punts inside the 20, which tied for the 12th-most in the NFL. Dixon ranked 26th in the NFL with 19 punts inside the 20, for comparison.
The Rams aren’t desperate to find a punter yet because there’s still plenty of time before training camp, but they should consider giving Mann a shot. He’s young and should come cheap, and though there were some lowlights in New York, he has some potential.
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