Eagles punter Arryn Siposs loses competition pressure with Ty Zentner exit

In the aftermath of the Eagles’ Super Bowl LVII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, punter Arryn Siposs quickly realized he needed to slow down.

Siposs, who was fresh off of an ankle injury at the time, kicked two punts in the game. His second of the pair occurred with 10 and ½ minutes remaining in the fourth quarter with the Eagles trailing by a point. His low, line drive of a punt traveled just 38 yards and in the wrong direction from where the gunners were situated. Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney then pulled off a 65-yard punt return to the Eagles’ 5-yard line, the longest in Super Bowl history, that set up an eventual touchdown to push the lead further out of the Eagles’ reach.

After the game, Siposs concluded that in certain situations, he rushes himself mentally. When he slows down and clears his head, that’s when he performs at his best. The shanked punt in the Super Bowl represented one of those rushed situations, according to Siposs.

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“Eight weeks out of the game in a big moment,” Siposs said after practice Sunday. “But I have to own that. And I do. That’s something that I have to live with for the rest of my life. But if I don’t grow from that, then I’m not going to be in the position that I am right now.”

That growth was at the forefront of Siposs’ offseason plan. Immediately after the loss, Siposs was “completely devastated,” leading him to take time away from the sport and hit reset alongside his family. As he worked on improving himself mentally, he got back on the field and worked on himself physically, putting the Super Bowl loss and his ankle injury firmly in the past.

Now, Siposs said he’s back to full health and is looking forward to taking advantage of his opportunity to make an impact in his third season with the Eagles. That path to winning the starting job once again became a bit clearer on Saturday when the Eagles cut punter Ty Zentner, the 2023 undrafted free agent out of Kansas State whom they signed in May as competition to Siposs.

Early in his NFL career, competition became a familiar concept to Siposs. When he first signed as an undrafted free agent with the Detroit Lions in 2020, he lost the starting job to Jack Fox in camp and was subsequently waived and signed to the practice squad. But since he signed with the Eagles in January 2021, the team had not brought in competition for Siposs until this year.

They had only signed an outside punter in Brett Kern when Siposs was sidelined with his ankle injury for six games, two of which were against the New York Giants and the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs.

But whether Siposs is directly competing against another player in camp or if he’s competing against potential outside candidates, he said that he tries to keep his focus inwards.

“I had to continue to get better and improve on my game,” Siposs said. “That’s what I just needed to focus on. It wasn’t about any external things. It was just all about me trying to have that drive and deliver.”

Prior to his ankle injury last season, which he sustained in Week 14 against the Giants on Dec. 11, Siposs said that he was pleased with his improvement compared to his 2021 season. In 13 regular-season games, Siposs kicked 44 punts, posting career highs in gross average (45.6 yards) and net average (39.6 yards). His one blocked punt of the season against the Giants that preceded his ankle injury may have “hindered” his overall numbers, according to Siposs.

“Overall, I thought I made great improvements,” Siposs said. “And that’s what I continue to continue to go off. And that’s what drives me. We’ve got a good group here and the coaches believe in me, and that’s what we go with.”

Siposs is preparing to play on Thursday in the final preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts as the lone punter on the Eagles’ training camp roster. Still, he’s focused on competing against himself, working to showcase the improvements he cultivated over the summer.

“I’ll play and I’ll go out there like I do every other time and just want to go out there and be the best,” Siposs said. “That’s all there is to it. I worked a lot on the physical side of things and the mental side of things. I’m just looking forward to the opportunity to go out there and play.”