Canal Street Chronicles
The New Orleans Saints announced they’ve waived second-year punter Matthew Hayball, re-signing UDFA quarterback Hunter Dekkers in a corresponding move. As a result, they’ll enter the season with a new punter for the fourth year in a row.
As a 27-year-old rookie, Hayball led the league in punts pinned inside the 20-yard line but ranked 32nd in hang time average. The Australian from Vanderbilt adopted a more traditional punting style this offseason and appeared to make some improvements, with a couple solid practices.
This move now leaves two UDFAs in the punter competition: 24-year-old fellow Australian James Burnip out of Alabama and recently signed 23-year-old Kai Kroeger from South Carolina.
Burnip has impressed with several punts over five seconds. Last week, he had back-to-back punts that hung for 5.15 and 5.22 seconds—a significant difference from Hayball, who averaged 4.19 in 2024.
Who do you think will come out on top in the punting battle?
