NY Jets make an expected decision with Braden Mann returning

NY Jets punter Braden Mann is coming back from a knee injury suffered in Week 1, which means veteran Thomas Morstead is on his way out.

Mann had one punt against the Carolina Panthers for 56 yards before hurting his knee, and he was placed on injured reserve on September 14.

In Mann's place, the Jets picked up Morstead, who honorably filled in for punting duties.

Through seven games, Morstead averaged 48.2 yards on 23 punts, dropping seven of them inside the 20-yard-line.

Morstead and the Jets ultimately parted ways on good terms, with the 13-year pro feeling nothing but grateful for New York giving him the opportunity "to keep living out his dream."

NY Jets release Thomas Morstead in anticipation of punter Braden Mann's return

Morstead and Mann share a bit of history, as Morstead was once Mann's coach at a football camp when Mann was in seventh grade. That makes their reunion a decade later extra special, but even good partnerships have to come to an end.

Hopefully, Mann learned a thing or two from the ex-New Orleans Saints punter.

Mann, a sixth-round pick out of Texas A&M in 2020, played in all 16 games last year and averaged 43.9 yards per punt with a long of 60.

The rookie will be looking to improve those numbers with a little less than half a season ahead of him while Morstead will hit the waiver wire.

Morstead bids a bittersweet farewell to the Jets franchise in a move that everybody knew would happen — it was just a matter of when.

Maybe it's not about where Mann or Morstead end up in their respective careers, but about the friends they make along the way.

Then again, Morstead has already won a Super Bowl, so he can believe in corny things like that. Mann still has a reputation to build.