The New Orleans Saints signed Blake Gillikin as an undrafted free agent out of Penn State, but he might have what it takes to win a job.
[jwplayer tRilVLgl-ThvAeFxT]
One name instantly stood apart from the rest when the New Orleans Saints announced their list of undrafted free agent signings: Blake Gillikin, a rookie punter out of Penn State. With spots on the 90-man roster running at a premium this offseason, many Saints fans were left wondering why the team would choose to add a second specialist with longtime punter Thomas Morstead so well-entrenched.
It’s a valid question. The Saints haven’t carried multiple punters on the roster since 2015, when Morstead missed two games with a quadriceps injury (former Miami Dolphins punter Brandon Fields stood in during his absence). Before that, you have to dig all the way back to Morstead’s rookie training camp in 2009 to find another punter wearing black and gold — be sure to file away Glenn Pakulak’s name for trivia night. The journeyman punted for the Saints during the 2008 season, but Morstead won the starting job from him the following summer and has held onto it ever since.
But let’s circle back to the present. The Saints signing Gillikin reunites the rookie with Phil Galiano, the ex-Penn State special teams coordinator who the Saints hired as an assistant after the 2018 season. The Saints have linked Galiano with his former players before. Last year, they drafted Rutgers safety Saquan Hampton — who Galiano recruited and started on special teams as a freshman when he was coaching the Scarlet Knights.
Beyond that connection, Gillikin is a fine talent in his own right. He started four full seasons for the Nittany Lions, averaging 43.0 yards per punt in his collegiate career. As a senior, he pinned opponents inside their own 20-yard line on 32 of 62 punts (51.6%). For perspective, Morstead had one of his most effective performances ever last year, dropping punts inside the 20 on 29 of 60 attempts (48.3%). The NFL’s most-efficient punter was Sam Koch, who forced the Baltimore Ravens’ opponents to start inside their own 20 on 21 of his 40 tries (52.5%).
Could Gillikin beat Morstead for a spot on the 53-man roster? The Saints have held vicious training camp battles at long snapper and kicker in recent years, but Morstead has weathered those storms for more than a decade. It’s almost impossible to imagine someone besides No. 6 handling punts for New Orleans.
Still, let’s look at it objectively: great as he’s been (and remains), Morstead turned 34 this year and carries a 2020 salary cap hit of $4.3 million, along with the NFL’s highest annual average salary among punters (north of $3.9 million). He’s under contract through 2023, but the Saints could release or trade him after June 1 and recoup $3.3 million. Those resources could be put to use retaining younger talents like Alvin Kamara, Marshon Lattimore, or Ryan Ramczyk.
And it’s not like the Saints have been shy about moving on from special teamers before. Just last year they inked Chris Banjo to a three-year contract extension, only to cut him months later once (he ended up with the Arizona Cardinals, and re-signed with them this offseason).
Considering Gillikin is only 22 and will earn just $610,000 this season and, well, it’s not impossible to say a changing of the guard might be on its way. And it’s no knock on Morstead. He’s beaten every expectation for a fifth-round draft pick, starting and playing at a high level for a decade. He’s a leader in the locker room due as much to his reputation (he and Drew Brees are the last remaining holdovers from the Super Bowl XLIV-winning team) as his actions, taking an active interest in his family life and the well-being of his community. The roots he’s put down in New Orleans won’t be easily removed.
But time marches on. And Gillikin might have what it takes to displace such a respected veteran. I mean, the kid even has his own highlight reel:
Now, for the counter-argument: if something isn’t broken, don’t try to fix it. Morstead thrived during special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi’s first year on the job, and his status as a known quantity to Saints head coach Sean Payton can’t be understated. An offseason abbreviated by the coronavirus pandemic might mean the Saints can’t evaluate Gillikin, the rookie, to their satisfaction.
And it’s possible that this is all part of a plan to get Gillikin some NFL exposure in a friendly situation, working with coaches he knows. That’s how the Saints found Wil Lutz, their franchise kicker (who marvels at Morstead’s stardom when they’re out around town). Lutz worked with veteran Ravens kicker Justin Tucker and head coach John Harbaugh (whose background lies in special teams) during his own rookie training camp, using the opportunity to learn from the best and get some exposure.
When Harbaugh met Payton at a Saints-Ravens preseason game, he put in a good word for his rookie — prompting Payton to cut both of the kickers he was auditioning in training camp and debut Lutz in Week 1. And the rest is history.
Maybe that’s what the Saints are thinking to do with Gillikin, allowing an assistant coach to help him get a strong start in the NFL. Or maybe he’ll win the job outright and it’ll be Gillikin’s No. 4, not Morstead’s No. 6, punting for the Saints this year and for years to come.
[vertical-gallery id=32968]
