Do the Dolphins have a punting problem?
· Yahoo Sports
NFL cutdown day is here, with all 32 teams needing to drop from their preseason 90-man roster size down to the regular season’s 53-player limit by 6 p.m. Eastern on Sunday. It is the primary focus for each team and around the league right now, as nearly 1,200 players are waived, released, or placed on injured lists. Teams are also looking around the league to consider who may become available for a waiver claim or as a free agent following a release.
The Miami Dolphins may have to make a roster move at an unexpected position over the next few days. Miami seems to have a punting problem.
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Summer-long punting concerns continue after preseason game against Falcons
After the first preseason game, a loss to the Washington Commanders, I wrote, “Punter Bradley Pinion is a concern, with some of his kicks tonight seeming off. He may work off the rust and be ready by the regular season, but his performance tonight didn’t instill confidence.”
After the second game, a loss to the New York Giants, I was a little more generalized in my special teams critique, writing, “The special teams are not good right now. Nothing seems to be working in sync, whether it is kick coverage, punt coverage, field goal attempts, kick returns, or punt returns. The entire special teams unit needs to be a focal point between now and the start of the regular season.”
After last night’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, another loss as the preseason schedule closed out for Miami, I added, “[P]unter Bradley Pinion continues to make me nervous for the season. Miami is going to need its punter to be consistent and a field-position-changing weapon, and Pinion has not been that this summer. He has some good kicks, but he shanks them just as often.”
The special teams play has been a concern throughout the month, and Pinion is a big part of that concern.
Against the Falcons, he had punts of 60 yards, 53 yards, 51 yards, 33 yards, and 36 yards. When he connects cleanly, Pinion can blast the ball. But he seems to have as many misses as he does solid kicks.
Field goal holds have not been clean
And it is not just the kicking. Field goals were a roller coaster, with Pinion as the holder. On one field goal attempt, he did not field the snap cleanly and had to rush to get the ball in place; kicker Riley Patterson connected on the kick, but it was an awkward-looking kick that knuckled as it flew. Pinion also struggled with another snap on a field goal attempt that wound up being blocked.
Long snapper Tucker Addington is also part of the issue, but concern about Pinion’s play continues to grow.
Options if Miami make a move
The Dolphins have limited options if they are looking to make a move at the punter position. Available free agents include former San Francisco 49ers punter Thomas Morstead, former New York Giants punter Jamie Gillan, the soon-to-be released Mitch Wishnowsky from the Buffalo Bills, and Nik Constantinou who was waived by the Cleveland Browns on Saturday.
Morstead was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft and would be entering his 18th season. He has a career average of 46.7 yards per kick, including 46.4 yards per kick in 2022 while punting for the Dolphins.
Gillan was released by the Giants in March after four seasons with the team. He began his career with a three-year stint with the Cleveland Browns after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2019 out of the University of Arkansas – Pine Bluff. He also had a brief practice squad stint with the Buffalo Bills near the end of the 2021 season after the Browns waived him. He has a 45.2 yards per punt average in his seven seasons.
The Bills will cut Wishnowsky as part of the team’s moves ahead of the roster deadline, according to Tom Pelissero. He had been in a training camp battle with drafted rookie Tommy Doman, but appears to be on the losing side of the fight. Wishnowsky spent his first six years in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers before spending last season in Buffalo. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by San Francisco out of Utah and has a career 45.5 yard punting average.
Constantinou was one of two punters in training camp with the Browns. He was undrafted in 2024, signing with the Denver Broncos, but was waived before training camp. After a two-year stint in the Canadian Football League, Constantinou returned to the NFL on a futures contract with the Browns but was unable to claim the roster spot.
The Browns still have a decision to make when it comes to punters. Even after releasing Constantinou, they still have Corey Bojorquez and Wes Phal on the roster at a position where most teams carry only one player.
The New England Patriots are also carrying two punters right now. Bryce Baringer has been the primary punter throughout the preseason, but he sustained an injury that, last week, forced New England to sign veteran Matt Haack, who was cut by the Washington Commanders a week earlier. If Baringer is healthy enough to reclaim his spot atop the depth chart, Haack could be an interesting consideration for Miami. He began his career as an undrafted free agent out of Arizona State and signed with Miami. He played the first four of his nine seasons with the Dolphins and has a career 45.0-yard-per-punt average.
Do the Dolphins make a move?
Pinion has averaged 45.6 yards per punt this preseason, which would have ranked 25th in the league last year. For a team that is going to be having offensive growing pains with rookies and younger players trying to grow together, they need to trust their punter to be able to change the field position game with every kick. Pinion could be that weapon, but the inconsistency is the biggest issue.
Miami cannot go into the season not knowing if their punter’s next kick will be over 60 yards or around 30 yards. They cannot worry about the holds on kicks and extra points. They have to trust that the special teams to do their job, and right now they cannot have that trust.
If the Dolphins’ coaching staff thinks they can find a more reliable punter, they have to make that move. Pinion not inspired any sense of confidence in his kicks this summer. It seems like it is time to make a move.