Eagles sign a new punter to practice squad, release Siposs

Eagles sign a new punter to practice squad, release Siposs originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Eagles have finally moved on from Arryn Siposs.

The team Eagles on Monday signed former Jets and Steelers punter Braden Mann to their practice squad and released Arryn Siposs from the practice squad.

"First of all, we thought Arryn did a great job in training camp and was growing. So we felt like we were ready to go into the season with Arryn in there," Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said. "After two weeks, we decided we wanted to make a change."

Mann, 25, was most recently with the Steelers but was released at final cuts. Before then, he was the Jets’ punter for the previous three seasons. The Jets cut Mann this spring after signing veteran Thomas Morestead. At the time, the Jets reportedly looked for a trade partner for Mann but came up empty. He was waived and then claimed by the Steelers.

The Steelers elected to stick with Pressley Harvin as their punter. Harvin and Mann competed for the job this summer.

Mann was an All-American at Texas A&M and won the Ray Guy award as the nation’s top punter. The Jets drafted him in the sixth round back in 2020.

During the first two weeks of the 2023 season, the Eagles have elevated Siposs to play against the Patriots and Vikings. Players can be elevated a maximum three times per season so the clock restarts with Mann.

So … is Mann an upgrade over Siposs? Maybe slightly, according to the guys at Puntalytics.

"Obviously, Braden has got tape out there that we obviously paid a lot of attention to," Sirianni said. "Which got him to where were brought him in to punt. And we liked his punts when he was here and his holds and everything. We were confident in the decision for that to happen now. We have a little bit of a longer week to make sure the operation’s clean. That’s why it is the way it is right now."

Here’s a comparison of career stats for Siposs and Mann:

Arryn Siposs: 32 games, 107 punts, 44.6 average, 38.7 net average, 35 inside 20 (32.7%)

Braden Mann: 43 games, 206 punts, 45.4 average, 39.3 net average, 60 inside 20 (29.1%)

In the first two weeks of the season, Siposs wasn't great. He had an average of 43.4 yards per punt and a net average of 38.4. Those are both career-lows.

Here’s what Eagles special teams coordinator Michael Clay said about Siposs before the opener:

“Competition is always great. Him coming in day in, day out, trying to get better each day. We’re going to feel going into week one, putting him out there, comfortability, making him as comfortable as possible to get out there. We’re all trying to get the best foot forward to help this team out. Week 1, in New England, is going to be a challenge. We’re really looking forward to this.”

The Eagles had clearly been searching for an upgrade. During the spring and summer they had UDFA Ty Zentner from Kansas State in camp to compete for the job. After Siposs outlasted Zentner, they brought in several veteran punters for workouts without signing any of them.

While Siposs was an important part of the field goal operation, working as the holder, thee Eagles were impressed by how well Jake Elliott kicked this summer with two different holders. They think he can adapt. And the punter’s main job is still punting.

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