The New England Patriots began their week by working out a slew of players including recently released Miami Dolphins punter Matt Darr.
Before everyone starts saying that the team works players out all the time and they just brought him in for practice squad depth, take a look at the statistics for Patriots punter Ryan Allen this season.
In 22 punts so far this season, Allen has averaged a mediocre 38.5 yards per punt with teams returning the ball 13 times for a total of 100 yards (7.7 yards per return).
Darr himself comes into Foxborough boasting a great statistical résumé. In the first two years of his career, Darr has an average of 46.0 yards per punt and was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team in 2015.
The release of Darr by the Dolphins was purely for salary cap purposes. Though starter Matt Haack had a fantastic preseason with 46.3 yards per punt, he’s now back down to a lower average than Darr’s overall.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick prides himself on his special teams and has no qualms about getting rid of fan favorites and long time Patriots to maintain success.
Look no further than Zoltan Mesko, who ironically was the punter Allen replaced just a few seasons ago.
