Tag: punter

At least the Saints’ punter had a good game vs. Chiefs

In the midst of an all-around poor performance by the Saints, rookie punter Matthew Hayball was a bright spot against the Chiefs. At least he had a good game:

The New Orleans Saints didn’t do well against the Kansas City Chiefs in many categories, but rookie punter Matthew Hayball was a bright spot on the day. The first-year pro from Vanderbilt has quietly put together a solid start to the season.

Offensive deficiencies gave Hayball the chance to showcase himself. After Derek Carr’s interception, the Saints punted in back-to-back possessions. Over half of the Saints first half possessions ended in a Hayball punt. His total number of punts would have been higher if the Saints weren’t in four down territory the majority of the fourth quarter.

Hayball averaged 49.8 yards per punt on four punts. That is his highest average of the season. His shortest punt on the night traveled 48 yards, and his long was 53 yards. It was a very consistent and effective night by the rookie punter.

He has gotten close to this average one time. He averaged 49 yards per punt against the Dallas Cowboys, but that was only on one punt. Hayball’s four punts against Kansas City are a larger sample size and more impressive.

Hayball has done a good job of placing the ball inside the 20 this year. His opportunities of doing this were limited against Kansas City because of where he was punting from. Still he put two punts inside the 20 with one of them being returned just outside of the 20-yard line. At least someone wearing a black and gold jersey had a good game.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Former Steelers’ punter hosted for a workout by AFC north rival

Thankfully the Steelers did not re-sign punter Pressley Harvin III.

As if the Pittsburgh Steelers’ punting woes could not get any worse.  Almost a week after Cameron Johnston’s devastating knee injury, Pressley Harvin III was brought in for a workout by the Cleveland Browns.

Many Steelers fans assumed that Harvin would be brought back in some capacity to try out for his former punting job in Pittsburgh.  While this isn’t an indicator that the reunion is impossible, after the Steelers signing of punter Corliss Waitman, it seems incredibly unlikely.

Time will tell if the Cleveland Browns pull the trigger and sign the 2020 Ray Guy Award winner, but Pittsburgh seems content with their recently acquired punter and is prepared to let their former seventh-round draft pick take his talents to Cleveland.

https://twitter.com/AaronWilson_NFL/status/1834356793364869450?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Why the Broncos worked out a left-footed player this week

The Broncos worked out left-footed punter Michael Palardy on Wednesday before facing Pittsburgh’s Corliss Waitman on Sunday.

The Denver Broncos brought in a punter for a tryout on Wednesday, but Riley Dixon‘s job is not in jeopardy.

The Broncos hosted Michael Palardy, according to the NFL’s transaction wire (via KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis). Palardy, 32, is left-footed, and that’s no coincidence.

After losing Cameron Johnston to a season-ending injury, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed former Denver punter Corliss Waitman, who is now set to play against the Broncos on Sunday.

Waitman is left-footed and, believe it or not, catching a punt from a lefty has a different spin than catching a punt from a right-footed punter. Dixon, Denver’s current punter, is right-footed, so he can’t simulate the kind of punts Waitman will deliver on Sunday afternoon.

So, presumably to give Marvin Mims and Tremon Smith practice reps fielding a left-footed punt, the Broncos gave Palardy a tryout on Wednesday. Assuming it went well, Palardy could also be considered as a fallback option down the road if Dixon is ever unavailable.

[vertical-gallery id=620142]

Russell Wilson is one of two ex-Broncos who now play for Steelers

Russell Wilson and Corliss Waitman return to Denver this week with the Steelers, but Wilson’s game status is uncertain.

The Denver Broncos faced three of their former players when they went on the road to take on the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1.

This week, Denver will face two more ex-Broncos, mostly notably including quarterback Russell Wilson (although his game status is still uncertain).

The other former Denver player now in Pittsburgh is punter Corliss Waitman, who joined the Steelers earlier this week after they lost Cameron Johnston to a season-ending knee injury.

Waitman, 29, handled punting duties for the Broncos in 2022. He has spent time with six NFL teams and this marks his third stint with the Steelers.

Wilson, 35, played in Denver from 2022-2023. The Broncos went 11-19 with Wison as a starter. Wilson was sacked 100 times, threw 19 interceptions and fumbled six times in 30 games with Denver before being released this spring.

Wilson sat out Pittsburgh’s season opener against the Atlanta Falcons with a calf injury. Justin Fields started in last week’s 18-10 win and Fields will start against the Broncos if Wilson is not cleared to play ahead of Week 2.

Denver’s game against the Steelers will be regionally televised on CBS. The Broncos are considered a betting underdog despite playing at home.

[vertical-gallery id=620142]

Steelers signing ex-Broncos punter ahead of Week 2

The Steelers are signing former Broncos punter Corliss Waitman ahead of their Week 2 showdown.

Russell Wilson won’t be the only ex-Bronco returning to Denver this week.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to sign former Broncos punter Corliss Waitman, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Pittsburgh needed to bring in a replacement punter after losing Cameron Johnston to a season-ending knee injury on Sunday.

Waitman, 29, punted in Denver in 2022, averaging 46.6 yards per punt with a net average of 41.4 yards per boot. His long with the Broncos was 59 yards.

This will mark Waitman’s third stint with the Steelers. He originally joined the team as an undrafted free agent out of South Alabama in 2020. After serving on their practice squad as a rookie, Waitman was waived in the spring of 2021 and joined the Las Vegas Raiders.

After the Raiders cut Waitman that summer, he had a brief stint on the practice squad of the New England Patriots before returning to Pittsburgh. He punted for two games for the Steelers at the end of the 2021 campaign.

After one season in Denver, Waitman returned to the Patriots practice squad for a little more than a month in 2023. He went to training camp with the Chicago Bears this summer but did not make their active roster.

Waitman now gets a third opportunity with the Steelers and he’s poised to handle punting duties when the Broncos host Pittsburgh on Sunday.

[vertical-gallery id=620142]

Chiefs Dave Toub shares assessment of punter Matt Araiza: ‘He’s a great person’

Kansas City #Chiefs Dave Toub shares assessment of punter Matt Araiza: ‘He’s a great person’ | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs made several adjustments in the offseason, with a significant change regarding the punter position on special teams and the departure of former Pro Bowler Tommy Townsend.

Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub spoke to reporters on Monday after practice, providing his early assessment of new punter Matt Araiza ahead of Thursday’s season opener.

“He’s a great person, great guy to be around. Fit right in right away. I feel like we really haven’t missed a beat as far as operation goes, with the field goal, as that goes, and Matt (Araiza) has done a good job.” Said Toub. “He’s got to remember, he’s a rookie, and it’s going to take some time. There’s going to be some growing pains, a little bit as we go. We’re not going to ask him to be at Tommy Townsend’s level coming in the way he went out. He’s going to continue to get better as we go. We anticipate that, but I’m excited about his prospects.”

Araiza is a lefty punter who differs from Townsend’s style. As the Chiefs move forward with him heading into the start of the new season, he is seeking a fresh start in Kansas City, leaving his off-the-field issues in the past and focusing on being an efficient punter.

Saints work out two punters despite Matthew Hayball winning initial position battle

Saints work out two punters in lieu of Matthew Hayball winning the initial position battle

The New Orleans Saints have had a significant burst of workouts Monday evening, including both receivers and punters. As for the punting side of things, they worked out Trenton Gill and Corliss Waitman, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. These workouts come only days after undrafted rookie Matthew Hayball won the initial starting position battle at punter over incumbent from 2023 Lou Hedley.

Neither player has had an exceptional start to their NFL career, however, both have starting experience at one point or another. Gill moved to the NFL in the 2022 NFL draft after spending four seasons at North Carolina State, where he would receive First-team All-ACC honors in 2021 and Third-team All-ACC honors in 2019. After being drafted in the seventh round at pick 255 by the Chicago Bears, he would end up as the starter in both 2022 and 2023. He accrued 133 punts there for 5,163 yards (46.1 average) and 38 inside the 20-yard line (28.6%). It is worth noting that his career long was a 76 yarder, which may be why the Saints took a look into him.

Waitman has had a much different football career, going undrafted in 2020 and being picked up by the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he would reside on their practice squad before being waived. He would then bounce around from the Las Vegas Raiders to the New England Patriots before coming back to Pittsburgh to get two games worth of opportunity, where he would punt 7 times for 365 yards (52.1 average) with only 1 inside the 20. In 2022 he ended up with the Denver Broncos where he would start the whole season, putting up 96 punts (most in the NFL that season) for 4,470 yards (46.6 average) and 30 inside the 20-yard line (31.3%). His career long is a 63 yarder, however he has not played in a regular season game since that season, as he would go to the practice squad of the New England Patriots for 2023 and Chicago Bears for 2024.

Ultimately, both may just be in consideration for pickups down the road pending the performance of Hayball. Or, maybe they want to retain one on the practice squad just in case of injury. We will see in the coming days if they want to make another addition at the position or if this was just for research. But at this time, neither has been signed, also per Nick Underhill.

2 players recently cut by Broncos work out for Saints

After being cut by the Broncos last week, WR Phillip Dorsett and P Trenton Gill worked out for the Saints on Monday.

One week after being cut by the Denver Broncos, two players worked out for the New Orleans Saints on Monday.

Former Broncos wide receiver Phillip Dorsett and ex-Denver punter Trenton Gill were among a group of players who visited the Saints, according to KPRC-TV’s Aaron Wilson.

Dorsett, 31, signed with the Broncos’ practice squad after the team set their 53-man roster last summer. Dorsett was elevated to the game-day roster twice in 2023 but did not record any receptions.

Gill, 25, competed with Riley Dixon for Denver’s punter job this summer. Gill showed off his powerful leg during preseason, but coach Sean Payton said the competition wasn’t close as Dixon retained the job.

New Orleans also worked out punter Corliss Waitman. who handled punting duties for the Broncos in 2022.

Denver made 38 roster moves last week to get down to a 53-man roster. So far, nine players cut by the Broncos have landed with NFL teams.

[vertical-gallery id=620142]

Sean Payton says Broncos’ punter competition wasn’t very close

Trenton Gill averaged 48.6 net yards per punt in preseason, best in the NFL. Yet Riley Dixon won the job and it wasn’t really close.

The raw stats suggest Trenton Gill had a better preseason than Denver Broncos incumbent punter Riley Dixon this summer.

Gill and Dixon both got five punts in preseason. Gill averaged 53.6 yards per punt with a net average of 48.6 yards per punt (best in the NFL this summer). Dixon averaged 46.6 yards with a net average of 41.6.

Yet it was Dixon who made the 53-man roster.

“I don’t think [Gill] had the better numbers overall in the preseason,” Payton said when asked about the team’s decision. “I think Riley won that position. We’ve had a lot of battles. I don’t know that that one was that close.”

Hill showed off his powerful leg in preseason with a 73-yard long that improved his average, but he also had a 34-yard shank. Dixon was more consistent, and he presumably looked better in practice, right?

“All of it,” Payton said when asked what separated Dixon. “All of it.”

Perhaps its telling that waiver claims have processed and teams are filling up their practice squads and Gill is still available. Whether it was his hang time, the inconsistency, or something else, Gill’s overall summer was not as good as Dixon’s, even if the game numbers suggest otherwise.

[vertical-gallery id=620142]

Matthew Hayball showcased leg talent, consistency to win punter battle

Matthew Hayball defeated Lou Hedley in the Saints’ punter battle. Dennis Allen listed three key factors in that decision:

The New Orleans Saints had the potential of major special teams changes going into this season. Lou Hedley and Blake Grupe were both competing for their jobs after questionable first seasons in the Black and Gold.

New Orleans brought two undrafted free agents. Matthew Hayball was brought in to challenge Hedley at punter and Grupe had to contend with Charlie Smyth at kicker. Grupe held on to his spot, but Hayball looked good enough in Saints training camp for the team to make a change at punter.

Dennis Allen explained the decision as coming down these three factors: age, ability and consistency. “Hayball is younger. I think he’s got a little bit more leg talent. Over the course of the last couple weeks of practice, (Hayball) was a little bit more consistent than Lou.”

Through the preseason, Hayball had a better averages in yards per punt and net yardage, which subtracts return yardage from the punt yardage. Hayball also had a longest punt of the preseason.

Most importantly, Allen called the rookie the more consistent player. Allen still believes Hedley is talented and will be “punting in our league again,” but consistency can’t be understated. If you’re more talented and more reliable, the job is typically yours.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]