February 20, 2022

Eagles stay or go: Specialists

By Jimmy Kempski
PhillyVoice Staff

Jake_Elliott_Arryn_Siposs_Eagles_Giants_1226211_Kate_Frese3.jpg

Kate Frese/for PhillyVoice

PHILADELPHIA - DECEMBER 26: Jake Elliott #4 and Arryn Siposs #8 of the Philadelphia Eagles warms up before the game against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field on December 26, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Now that the Philadelphia Eagles' 2021 season is over, we'll be taking a position-by-position look at which players will likely be back with the team in 2022, and which ones likely won't. Today we'll look at the specialists.

In previous offseasons, we've tackled each positional group "in order," as in, quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, offensive line, and then onto the defense. Just as a quick programming note, I'm going to jump around a little more this year, so if you're wondering if you missed the quarterbacks, no, we haven't published that one yet.

On the polls below, they are your votes on what you think the Eagles should do, not necessarily what you think they will do. Please think of them more as approval polls.

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.

#JimmyVerdict: Stay.

Eagles stay or go: Jake Elliott

Arryn Siposs

According to @ThePuntRunts, 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.

We'll have more playoff tidbits in the next few days but here's one to get you started:#FlyEaglesFly Punter Arryn Siposs finished 2nd in Pin-Deep punting, but dead last in Open-Field punting in 2021 (min 27 punts)
— Puntalytics (@ThePuntRunts) January 13, 2022

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.

#JimmyVerdict: Punters are too good these days for teams to be worried about them malfunctioning in big games. The 2022 draft has several very good punting prospects, like San Diego State's Matt Araiza and Penn State's Jordan Stout, among others. While I wouldn't normally advocate drafting a punter, it's justifiable this year, but only in the late rounds. Whether the Eagles find a punter in the draft or by some other means, Siposs' tryout should end after one year. Go.

Eagles stay or go: Arryn Siposs