Hunter Niswander, now playing for the Dallas Cowboys, has shown he deserves to be permanently in the NFL.
Even during Niswander’s time in the XFL as a DC Defender, he proved that he could compete with the best. As a Defender, he punted the ball 21 times, averaging 44.6 yards a ball, and netted 36.4 yards. The XFL punt rules really made him figure out how to place punts with intent due to the penalties that the XFL featured. Niswander landed eight inside the 20-yard line and just two touchbacks.
Those stats alone are impressive, but he has done even more in Dallas. It is amazing to see an XFL alumni like Niswander go into the NFL and show why he deserves a starting spot, and demonstrate why the XFL is beneficial for players of every position. Punters and kickers seem to get the short end of the stick, but the XFL made them better. Niswander is living proof.
To date, Niswander has punted the ball 16 times for Dallas, averaging 47.0 yards a punt and a long ball of 58 yards. He has landed two punts inside the 20-yard line and just one measly touchback. The former Defender is also netting 43.6 yards a punt, so his punts are hanging high enough to allow for very minimal returns.
Last Sunday alone, Niswander punted the ball on six separate occasions helping the Cowboys win against the San Francisco 49ers. He punted a total of 282 yards for an average of 47.0 yards a ball, with a long of 53 yards, no touchbacks, and landing two of those inside the 20-yard line. That game as a standalone is a good example of the talent that Niswander possesses.
Those numbers will keep you in the league, the NFL goes through specialists like water when they have a bad game they’re gone, especially this year. Niswander has been an outlier, he replaced the veteran punter Chris Jones and may even have a chance to take his spot.
The Cowboys’ salary looks like this for 2020: Chris Jones gets paid $2,175,000 and the rookie Hunter Niswander gets paid $761,667, a fraction of what Jones gets. The monetary value of these players makes it easy to decide which one to keep, as Niswander seems to do more for less money.
Elite talent
Niswander’s size is an unmatchable, 6’3, 243 lbs, which could very well hold up to the size of some tight ends or linebackers. He is just built differently, as Niswander is big and strong, unlike some of today’s punters who are skin and bone.
The way that Niswander is performing in the Lone Star state shows why he should sign with the either Cowboys or any other NFL needing a punter, he should look for a nice deal. He can hang with the best, even in the XFL Niswander proved that he could hang with NFL veteran punter Marquette King.
Don’t neglect Niswander
A player with the skills of Niswander does not come around very often, nor do they in the fashion he did. Niswander came out of the dark pretty much compared to some of these punters who have bounced around teams or get released and signed. This is Niswander’s first taste of the NFL, and he seems to be loving every minute of it and improving each and every game.
Also, let’s not forget that Niswander is one of the unique ‘swiss army knife’ specialists. He can punt, kick field goals, and handle kickoffs and do them all very well. That is something pretty rare, hopefully, the Cowboys remember this when it comes time to make the punter decision next season.
