Getty New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick
It probably shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the Philadelphia Eagles are interested in upgrading at the punter position. Arryn Siposs is coming off a down year in 2022 – one shortened due to a lower leg injury – and his future in midnight green remains very much up in the air.
Remember, the Eagles brought several players in for tryouts before Siposs got injured in Week 14. He finished last season ranked 26th in gross punt average (45.66) while pinning only 19 total punts inside the 20-yard line. It’s a foregone conclusion that he’ll be pushed at training camp. Whether Siposs’ competition is a rookie draft pick, or a proven veteran, remains to be seen.
One guy the team apparently had some interest in was All-Pro punter Jake Bailey who was recently released by the New England Patriots. The 25-year-old has since inked a one-year deal to join the Miami Dolphins, but the Eagles checked in on him when he hit free agency. The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane reported a “change could come” at the punter spot in Philadelphia as Siposs’ job is far from safe.
The #Eagles had some interest in free agent punter Jake Bailey, NFL sources said. The former Pro Bowler signed with the Dolphins.
Not exactly a shock the team is looking to upgrade at punter with Arryn Siposs’ struggles. But shows due diligence and that a change could come.
Bailey, a fifth-round pick in 2019, was a first-team All-Pro selection for the Patriots in 2020. He also qualified for the Pro Bowl that year after averaging 48.7 gross yards per punt while pinning 31 punts inside the 20-yard line. Then, things quickly turned.
Bailey clashed with Patriots head coach Bill Belichick in 2022 and finished the season on the suspended list. The disconnect stemmed from a dispute over the way the Patriots treated the punter’s back injury. Bailey had even filed a grievance about it at one point.
Eagles See One Rule Change Pass at Annual Meetings
The Eagles had submitted two rule change proposals at the NFL Annual Meetings in Phoenix on March 28. One of them passed; the other was tabled for a future vote (via The Athletic). The rule change taking immediate effect in 2023 will allow players – all players except offensive and defensive lineman – to wear the number zero.
Within minutes of the proposal being approved, the Jacksonville Jaguars announced that Calvin Ridley would be wearing No. 0 in 2023. He’ll become the first player in NFL history to ever don the number.
Calvin Ridley will wear No. 0.
The rule tabled for future vote involved switching up the onsides kick protocol by allowing teams the option to face a 4th-and-20 from their own 20-yard line. That would give trailing teams the opportunity to bring their offense out. “Future discussion” is needed, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Nick Sirianni Not Worried About Super Bowl Hangover
Don’t tell Nick Sirianni only eight teams in NFL history have lost the Super Bowl and gotten back there the next year. He knows the statistics all too well, except what happened to other teams doesn’t necessarily affect him. The Eagles’ process won’t change. They’ll remain hungry.
“We’re not going to talk about, ‘Hey, the Super Bowl, the Super Bowl, gotta get back.’ You’re not going to hear us say that,” Sirianni told reporters. “You’re going to hear us say, ‘We gotta go attack the next segment of our process.’ There’s that thing that (Jalen Hurts said), he’s like, ‘I’m not hungry. I’m starving.’ I think (losing) just makes you more hungry, makes you more starving.”