Will Dallas trade its starting punter in the 2021 season?

Since the arrival of John Fassel as special teams coordinator for the Cowboys, this unit of the cowboy team has undergone many changes. This has been noticed in the titular specialists, especially after the departure of LP Ladouceur and Chris Jones during this offseason. Now, we are likely to see another change in a position that seemed free of modifications: that of punter or punter.

During a press conference last week, Fassel indicated that there will be competition between newcomer Bryan Anger and Hunter Niswander for the job of starting punter. However, Anger “leads” that competition, this because the former Texans if he has been present during the organized team activities (OTAs) of the Cowboys in recent weeks.

Cowboys ST coordinator John Fassel said he considers Bryan Anger “a top-flight guy” and the “leader” to be team’s punter in 2021. Hunter Niswander still developing and will compete. Niswander not here in spring for personal family reasons, COVID-19 precaution.

– Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) June 4, 2021

Hunter Niswander, on the other hand, has been absent from training for reasons of force majeure. The punter decided not to participate in the OTAs due to the situation with COVID-19 and the pregnancy status of his partner, which is high risk. He wasn’t even part of the Cowboys’ mini-camp this week, either. This, of course, has given Anger a further advantage.

“Bryan was the only punter who’s been here.”Fassel told the media last week. “Heading into camp, I think it would be fair to say that Bryan is the leader and Hunter will continue to develop as a punter.”.

Recall that Hunter Niswander, from the XFL, arrived in the course of the 2020 season to fill the position of starting punter, this after the injury of Chris Jones. To the surprise of many, Niswander delivered an immediate performance averaging 47.2 yards per punt. This topped the records of Jones in 2020, who averaged 42.6 yards per punt.

BOOM ????????@HunterNiswander went off and averaged 5️⃣0️⃣.5️⃣ yards/punt for the @XFLDefenders. #GoCats | #ProCats

pic.twitter.com/XGcQfbeiGG

— Northwestern Football (@NUFBFamily) February 24, 2020

This clear difference made the team decide to release Jones on budget and keep Niswander. However, Hunter’s lack of NFL experience led Fassel and the Cowboys to choose to bring in someone more seasoned if the opportunity presented itself. And this opportunity came when the Texans released Bryan Anger.

“I’ve talked to Hunter (Niswander) about his development process and some of the things he needs to keep working on as a punter.”said the Dallas special teams coordinator. “I think Bryan (Anger) is an outstanding guy, and we hope that he is. We will see what happens “.

Undoubtedly, John Fassel is choosing to start the more experienced of the two. Coming to the NFL in 2012 as a third-round pick, Bryan Anger has been for three different teams: Jacksonville (2012-2015), Tampa Bay (2016-2018) and Houston (2019-2020). After 142 professional games, Anger is averaging 46.2 yards per punt.

#Bucs punter Bryan Anger has been named NFC Special Team Player of the Week. 5 punts, all placed inside the opposing 20, ZERO return yards. pic.twitter.com/s3FU8US7Y8

– Paul Gerke (@PaulGerke) January 4, 2017

Despite being released by the Texans this offseason, Anger performed well in 2020 kicking 54 punts for 2,505 yards. His longest punt last year was 67 yards, and his average was 46.4 yards per punt. Although he had a lower average than Hunter Niswander, his numbers are still better than Chris Jones’.

“I think he’s one of the best punters in the league.”said Fassel about Anger. “It was affected by the staff changes in Jacksonville, then Tampa and then Houston. But that is not a reflection of his abilities. He was available, and I thought, ‘Let’s go for one of the best.’ The team agreed, and we went for him. I think he’s a great punter, and I think we’re very lucky to have him. “

Despite the good performance that Hunter Niswander left in his first year in the NFL, it seems that he will lose the title this year in favor of Bryan Anger. It only remains to be seen if Niswander can participate in training camp and compete with the veteran punter. But on paper, and looking at the words of John Fassel, everything indicates that Anger will be the starting punter for the Cowboys in the 2021 season.

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