Over the last few weeks, we've taken a look at every player on the Philadelphia Eagles' roster, and how they fit with the team heading into training camp. Today we'll finish out the series with the specialists.
Previous training camp previews
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end
Offensive tackle | Guard | Center
Defensive end | Defensive tackle | Rush linebacker
Linebacker | Cornerback | Safety
The depth chart:
| Specialists | 1 |
| K | Jake Elliott |
| P | Arryn Siposs |
| LS | Rick Lovato |
Jake Elliott
After a very good start to his Eagles career in which he made 85.9 percent of his field goal attempts (74 of 88 in the regular season, and a perfect 11 of 11 in the playoffs), many of which came in extraordinarily clutch situations, Elliott was rewarded with a lucrative five-year contract worth a little over $19 million during the 2019 season.
In 2020, Elliott had by far his worst season in the pros, as he was just 14 of 19 (73.7 percent) on his field goal attempts, which included two misses inside the 30. He also missed two PATs.
As such, Elliott entered the 2021 season with some pressure to bounce back, and bounce back he did. He connected on 30 of 33 field goal attempts (90.9%), including 3 for 3 from beyond 50, and he was a perfect 45 of 45 on his PATs, earning his first ever Pro Bowl nod. Fantastic season.
Arryn Siposs
According to @ThePuntRunts, who in my opinion are the gold standard of NFL punting analysis, Siposs finished the season 27th in EPA per punt.
He was good in "pin them deep" situations, but the worst punter in the NFL when trying to blast off long punts and flip the field.
A visual:
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In case you can't read that, the further to the right you are, the better you are at open field (longball) punting. The further to the top you are, the better you are at "pin them deep" punting. As you can see, Siposs is all by himself in the top left corner.
According to @ThePuntRunts, Siposs had 18 "pin deep" attempts. Here's how they went:
• 2 touchbacks
• 2 returned
• 13 inside the 15
• 9 inside the 10
In my opinion, "pin them deep" punting is more important than being able to crush long balls. That's Siposs' best argument to stick with the team in 2022.
However, Siposs struggled mightily down the stretch, with several Shankopotomus punts in the final two games. Against Dallas Week 18, in "crush the ball deep" territory, Siposs had punts of 21 and 24 yards, both of which led to Cowboys touchdowns on their ensuing drives.
Against the Buccaneers in the playoffs, once again in "crush it" situations, Siposs hit punts of 27 and 36 yards, with the latter leading to a Bucs touchdown on the ensuing drive.
In our "stay or go" series, 90.6 percent of voters said Siposs should "go." The fans' preference on a punting competition is clear.
Should/will the Eagles give Siposs competition in training camp, and if so, who? Well... Because I'm a sad, pathetic man, I banged out over 1400 words analyzing the Eagles' punting situation heading into the 2022 season. If you care enough about punting, just go read that, please.
Rick Lovato
Lovato threw the ball through his legs with precision and speed in 2021. He hopes to do the same in 2022.
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