Veteran punter Jamie Gillan visited with the New England Patriots on Thursday, a serious sign the team is scrambling hard to lock down their special teams ahead of the regular season. This isn’t just a casual meeting, folks, this is the Pats trying to figure out a critical spot just hours before their final preseason game.
The “Scottish Hammer” Has Seen It All
This guy, Jamie Gillan, he’s 29 years old, and he’s been around the block a few times in the league. He clawed his way into the NFL back in 2019 as an undrafted free agent from Arkansas-Pine Bluff, proving he belonged from day one. You know the grit it takes to do that. Hailing from Scotland, Gillan quickly earned the nickname “The Scottish Hammer,” and for good reason. He spent three solid years in Cleveland, where he absolutely balled out, racking up AFC Special Teams Player of the Week and Player of the Month honors, plus a spot on the PFWA All-Rookie team. After that, he hit the practice squad with the Buffalo Bills for a bit, then became the main punter for the New York Giants from 2022 until they released him this past March. With 107 games under his belt, Gillan’s got a career average of 45.2 yards per punt and a net of 40.3 yards. His career long is a booming 74 yards! When it comes to pinning opponents deep, 37.2 percent of his 436 total punts have landed inside the opposing 20 yard line, with only 6.4 percent going for touchbacks. This left-footed specialist has serious experience.
Patriots’ Punting Predicament Heats Up
So why are the Patriots bringing in a veteran like Gillan right now? Because their punter situation has been a total mess. Incumbent punter Bryce Baringer went down with an injury in their second preseason game, and things got wild. Get this: they actually had rookie quarterback Behren Morton take the field to punt in relief! You know things are not good when your QB is punting. To try and fix that immediate problem, New England went out and signed well-traveled free agent Matt Haack for both punting and holding duties, just before their summer finale. But now, with Gillan getting a workout, it’s clear Haack wasn’t the final answer. What are they thinking? This is a huge decision right on the doorstep of the season.
The Patriots’ final preseason game kicks off tonight, Thursday, at 8 p.m. ET in Ohio. And the really important deadline? The NFL’s 53-man roster cut is Sunday at 6 p.m. ET. They’ve got to make a call on this punter spot, and fast. Will “The Scottish Hammer” be the guy to bring some stability to their special teams? Or will this become an even bigger headache? This is going to be interesting to watch over the next few days.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pats Pulpit.
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