Philadelphia Eagles: Arryn Siposs is an absolute weapon on special teams

There was a lot to like about the Philadelphia Eagles‘ first win of the 2021 NFL season.

Well, for one thing, it was just that; a win. After being pegged as certified losers who would surely inhabit the basement of the NFC East for much, if not all of the season, the Eagles improbably found themselves the lone team in the division with a winning record, largely due to fantastic performances from Jalen Hurts, Javon Hargrave, the offensive line, and Nick Sirianni in his head coaching debut.

But do you know one player who filled a vital role in the team’s absolute routing of the Atlanta Falcons? Arryn Siposs.

… what, don’t tell me you aren’t familiar with the Philadelphia Eagles’ rocket-legged punter from the home of Ben Simmons, Matisse Thybulle, and the “Money Man,” Jordan Mailata? Well, if you aren’t yet, you will be soon, as he’s going to be an absolute weapon for Michael Clay’s special teams unit.

Arryn Siposs will set the Philadelphia Eagles up for success this fall… literally.

Arryn Siposs has been a member of the Philadelphia Eagles since January 13th, 2021.

He was signed to a futures contract before Cam Johnston signed with the Houston Texans, before Michael Clay signed with the Eagles, and even 11 days before Nick Sirianni was named the 21st full-time head coach in franchise history.

And yet, despite having no tangible on-field experience at the NFL-level sans a 2020 tenure on the Detroit Lions practice squad, Howie Roseman and company felt confident enough in his abilities to forgo adding competition at any point in the draft, training camp, or the preseason whatsoever.

Is that a bit of a risky proposition? Sure. Theoretically, every position group should have competition heading into camp, even special teamers, but maybe the Eagles opted against it because they’d already seen firsthand just how beautifully the ball glided through the air after making contact with Siposs’ left foot.

With Week 1 in the books, it’s safe to say the entirety of Eagles nation can now join in that knowledge firsthand, as Siposs turned in an absolute clinic on how to pin opposing offenses deep in their own territory.

Afforded four opportunities to punt the ball, Siposs recorded 189 total yards for a 47.3 yards-per-punt average. He recorded a long of 54, kept the ball out of the endzone on all four attempts, and was able to pin the ball within the 20 on three separate occasions.

While Siposs did have two of his kicks returned by ex-Boise State cornerback Avery Williams, they were for seven and eight yards respectfully, with the latter actually generating a penalty that marched the receiving team back to the 28-yard line. Even more impressively, the Falcons never actually scored on a player following a punt from Siposs, with only one drive actually lasting longer than five plays.

Coincidence? Maybe so. Or maybe the fact that Siposs only gave Atlanta the ball back past their own 20 simply made it too hard for Arthur Smith’s sputtering Falcons offense to move the ball 80-plus yards for a chance to put six points on the board?

Either way, expect Siposs’ efforts to further set the team up for success down the line, as having a good punter is of the most deceptively valuable weapons in the NFL.

Now granted, did all of the Philadelphia Eagles’ special teams success fall solely on Arryn Siposs’ shoulder? No. Both Zech McPhearson and Andre Chachere performed admirably in their first taste of NFL action, and even Alex Singleton, T.J. Edwards, and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside of all people got in on the special teams tackling game when the ball was returned, but had Siposs muffed one of his four attempts and given the Atlanta Falcons a short field, maybe things would have been different. Maybe Matt Ryan would have ridden the dynamic duo of Kyle Pitts and Calvin Ridley into the endzone, and that could have helped to shift the game’s momentum towards the home team. Fortunately, I guess we’ll never know, as Siposs did his job darn well in his NFL debut.