Eagles add former Pro Bowl punter Mat McBriar
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Eagles add former Pro Bowl punter Mat McBriar
Zach Berman
Updated at 7:46 p.m.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Eagles’ most competitive roster battle might now be at punter after they signed veteran Mat McBriar to a one-year contract on Wednesday. McBriar, a two-time Pro Bowler with the Cowboys, will compete with incumbent Chas Henry for the roster spot during training camp and the preseason.
“Should be great competition, that’s what we’re trying to do,” Reid said after Wednesday morning's practice. “You’re talking about a kid that’s one of the best in the National Football League. He’s coming off an injury. We’ll see how that all works out and how he works through that, but he had a good workout, obviously impressed us there. I don’t think Chas is going to bow down to him at all. He’s going to come out and compete and make it a battle.”
Reid said McBriar is “90 percent” recovered from a nerve condition called “drop foot” that hindered him last season. The condition resulted from a cyst that impeded the nerve. The cyst was removed during a February surgery and McBriar has been recovering ever since.
Because of the injury, McBriar experienced a sharp decline in productivity. He had a 43.8-yard average and a 36.1-yard net average, which were his worst totals since early in his eight-year career. The struggles came in the latter portion of the season, when the condition first developed. McBriar was eventually placed on injured reserve at the end of the season.
“Last year was difficult,” McBriar said. “It was tough to deal with. Before the surgery, I had a lot of nerve plan. My foot completely dropped. Just didn’t have any control and my consistency was just horrendous. It’s been a big recovery since then.”
His initial concerns were not about football, but rather his long-term health. He visited the Mayo Clinic, where the cause of the discomfort was realized. The nerves still need a few months to recover, but he is functional enough to play football.
McBriar has been punting for a month and said he’s “rusty.” His workouts were conducted in San Diego with former Eagles punter Sav Rocca, a fellow Australian. Rocca praised the Eagles in conversations with McBriar.
McBriar, 33, spent eight seasons with the Cowboys from 2004-2011. He was an All-Pro in 2006 and 2010 and led the NFL in punting average in both seasons.
To make room on the roster for McBriar, the Eagles released former Temple cornerback Kee-ayre Griffin, who signed with the team on Sunday.
Henry sucked last year. Almost anything would be an improvement.— SteveS11- TNEaglesFan,
"It's access not assess." Oops . . . your bad!— crumblinggeorge - Berman scooped Les Bowen by a full hour on this "story." Nice job. But don't you mean "Matt McBriar-patch" or "Matt moons-over-mcbriar?" In other news, my father is a very successful internet poster, so i'll be following in his footsteps too. I miss Sheil.— dragoon6
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Bob - The shame of it all is that you point out grammatical errors, but have one of your own. It's access not assess. For the most point, I agree with your second comment.- TNEaglesFan, you're the one that is wrong. Bob is right. The right word is "assess" as in to evaluate. Also, I think you meant to say "For the most part.. not most point.
So there you did the same thing that you accused Bob of except you had two mistakes and Bob had none. People in glass houses....— erdessy - Most of D-Jax's catches/Vick's INTs are de facto punts. Coulda saved a roster spot.— 2ndNlong
- I don't think you improve your young punter by bringing in veterans. Either let him relax and kick, or can him and make McBriar the punter.— armchairGM
- Hopefully McBriar is better than the last Australian punter we had. I love the English lessons on this site.— shawnmac
- Sav Rocca had a pretty good year for the Redskins last season...only one touchback and among the league leaders for punts inside the 20; certainly much better than Henry. — J H
- McBriar has been better in the past and they hope he can rebound from last year. I would have preferred Maynard who was in the top five in the league with punts inside the 20. I don't like Henry and I think anything is an upgrade— NickM
- Re: Age. Thet're freakin' punters. For reference, look up Sean Landetta.
- There are no differences except one is young and the other is old in football terms.
— urbnasty - Two comments: 1) it should be they worked out four "punters", not "punter" 2) It may be useful comparing McBriars last years performance to Henry's, to be able to assess the potential differences.— Bobphxville
- And........they worked out "four veteran punters" not "four veterans punter." This is just sloppy and unacceptable for a newspaper hailing from one of the largest and oldest cities in the United States. — World
- get a life.Are you serious? — Sean s.
