Sam Martin - Punter
Including a punter in a list like this is probably surprising as it is underwhelming, but hear me out. While Drue Chrisman was able to kick the ball down the field, he struggled with keeping it in the air leading to low hangtimes which results in the tacklers not getting down the field fast enough and leading to big, avoidable returns.
Just look at the last punt vs. the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game. That ball was not in the air long enough for the special teams to get down there and make a play, which played a huge role in the big return that eventually led to the Chiefs getting into field goal range and winning the game.
Now, do I think we should immediately write Chrisman off as a bad punter? No, he's an undrafted rookie and he still has potential.
However, at the very least, the Bengals should prepare to replace him if he doesn't show improvement this season and give him someone to compete with in training camp so he elevates his game. And if he doesn't, then they have a solid veteran to choose over him-- in this case, former Buffalo punter Sam Martin.
If Chrisman can fix his biggest flaw, then great! He was born just 40 minutes outside of Cincinnati, so it'd be a nice story sort of like how Sam Hubbard is a hometown hero for the team.
However, it's not like his hang time as a punter is simply bad, it's historically bad -- Worst in the last ten seasons bad. Just look at this tweet by user LB3PTMAN, as he gets into the specifics of Chrisman's struggles.
PFF has been tracking punter stats since 2013, so that’s 10 years.
— LB3PTMAN (@LB3PTMAN) February 2, 2023
In that time, of players with at least 20 punt attempts, Drue Chrisman ranks dead last on a season in hang time with 3.85 seconds. Dead last over ten seasons. Bengals need a punter.
Thankfully, the team seems to agree here and has hinted at adding competition for Chrisman at the punting position, so Martin could very well be one of the players they choose for this. He's a 33-year-old punter, so money isn't going to be a problem.
Plus, he and Chrisman average nearly the same amount of yards per punt, and, while I couldn't find anything specific on Martin's hang time stats, we know it is for sure better than the Ohio State product's based on the stat above alone.
Who is a 30+ year-old free agent you'd like to see the Bengals give a call?