Thomas Morstead named NFC special teams player of…

USA TODAY Sports

Thomas Morstead began the 2021 season without a team, since the Saints released him in early 2021 after 12 seasons.

Then Morstead signed with the Jets to fill in for an injured Braden Mann, averaging 48.2 yards on his 23 punts in seven games.

After Mann’s return, New York cut Morstead. So he was available when Falcons punter Dustin Colquitt had to be placed on the COVID-19 list and missed two games. But when Colquitt returned, Morstead had been performing so well that Atlanta elected to keep him.

It’s paid off, as Morstead has now been named NFC special teams player of the week for December.

In four games last month, Morstead averaged 49 yards on his 11 punts with six getting downed inside the 20-yard line.

Overall, Morstead has averaged 47.7 yards on his 16 punts in five games with Atlanta.

The Falcons take on the Bills and Saints to end the 2021 season.