It only took one preseason for the Jets to find their punter of the future

The New York Jets raised a few eyebrows when they made the decision to part ways with veteran punter Thomas Morstead this offseason. Morstead was just a year removed from being named a Pro Bowl alternate and was generally beloved by the Jets' fan base.

But with the new regime of Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey looking to get younger across the board, the Jets signed former Texas Tech standout Austin McNamara and subsequently released Morstead a couple of months later.

McNamara was initially brought in to compete with undrafted rookie Kai Kroeger, who was signed shortly after Morstead's release. But it quickly became apparent to the organization that this wasn't much of a competition.

The Jets waived Kroeger less than two weeks into training camp, leaving McNamara as the lone punter on the roster. It was a bold endorsement for a player who was yet to appear in an NFL game, but after just two preseason appearances, it's become clear why the Jets felt comfortable with their decision.

Austin McNamara has been one of the quiet stars of the Jets' preseason

McNamara has been one of the best punters in the NFL this summer. The former Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year is PFF's second-highest graded punter (80.6) this preseason, while his 77.8 PFF grade ranked first among all punters in preseason Week 2.

Six of McNamara's nine punts have been downed inside the 20-yard line, with an average return of just 3.8 yards per punt. He's yet to record a single touchback, while his 46.9 NET yards per punt average ranks fourth among all punters.

A big part of his success has been his remarkable hangtime. McNamara is averaging 4.69 seconds of hangtime per punt, a number that would have led all NFL punters in 2024. By nearly every metric, he’s been one of the most impressive punters in football through the first two preseason games.

This should come as no surprise to anyone who watched McNamara dominate at Texas Tech. A three-time first-team All-Big 12 selection, McNamara was ranked as the No. 1 punter recruit nationally coming out of high school.

In 2021, McNanamara set both the Texas Tech and Big 12 record with a 48.2-yard punting average, while also setting an NCAA single-game record during the year for most 50-yard punts in a game.

The 24-year-old signed an undrafted deal with the Cincinnati Bengals last year but was waived prior to the start of the regular season. He'd spend all of 2024 out of football before signing on with the Jets this past March.

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McNamara is wasting little time proving the Jets right for their controversial decision to move on from Morstead, who, despite his near-universal approval from the fan base, was coming off a quietly underwhelming 2024 season.

The Jets got younger and, if the preseason is any indication, they also got better at one of the most overlooked (but still very important!) positions in football. In McNamara, the Jets may have quietly found a long-term weapon who can flip the field for years to come.

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