Link: HERE I actually found this article interesting. Darr has been pretty solid. Didn't realize Miami signed Haack to a 3-year contract. I actually thought about the same thing about Haack being a lefty in that the ball comes out differently, which could lead to returners having issues with handling the catch. Darr has amazing hang time, so there is that. Good to have competition, and this is a very interesting one. I think our STs are really good. Our punting has been very good, and sometimes overlooked. This is something to watch.
Could save a bit of money. After the Cutler signing, I think CK pointed out that some moves may have the goal of saving a bit of money if possible. Particularly if the player is cheaper AND outperforming the incumbent, I'd think.
Was fun to see both our former ST kickers (Donnie Jones and Caleb Sturgis) on the Philly team. Seems we always move on because we constantly find younger and cheaper talent.
Well, the financial savings in 2017 from Darr to Haack would be negligible. Darr only makes 615k, while Haack is at 465k. So a net gain of 150k against the cap is peanuts. But it would mean that we would have our punter under cheap control in 2018 & 2019, whereas Darr is scheduled to be a RFA after this season, and would need a new contract with a raise. So, there are certainly future considerations. As far as on the field, Darr had the 4th most punts in the league last season, and his average wasn't terribly special, but it was among the very best the year before. He's a very capable punter, and only just turned 25, so if we're going to move on, the coaches need to feel really good about it. Looking through his game logs, does anyone know if he suffered an injury last year? All of his rookie year, through game five of 2016, he averaged in the high 40s with his punts most games. Then last year, starting with the Steelers game, his average suddenly dipped way down into the 30s and low 40s, and stayed there for almost every game the rest of the season. If he did have an injury that he hasn't recovered from, that would explain a lot.
