The San Francisco 49ers made a big special teams move over the weekend as they signed Corliss Waitman which seemingly signals that they are moving on from veteran punter Thomas Morstead after just one season.
It's a shame to see Morstead depart since he was very solid for San Francisco; 22 of his 44 punts pinned opponents within their own 20-yard line. So, he got the job done even at the ripe age of 39. It also would have been nice to keep a much-improved special teams unit as intact as possible. San Francisco was able to bring back kicker Eddy Pineiro.
While Waitman has a lot of experience as a punter, it feels like a missed opportunity the Niners decided to sign him rather than reuniting with Bradley Pinion.
From 2015 to 2018, Pinion was San Francisco's punter. The Niners selected him in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft, and he has turned out to be a very solid leg for the Niners, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Atlanta Falcons in his 11-year pro career.
Last season with Atlanta, Pinion was able to pin opponents within their own 20-yard line 34 out of 64 times, which is better than half the time. Comparatively, Waitman had a worse percentage as he downed the opponent in their own red zone 26 out of 62 times.
Perhaps the 49ers simply wanted to save somee money at the position. They already paid a pretty penny to keep Pineiro around, so maybe the prospect of spending roughly $3 million per year on Pinion, which is roughly what he made with the Falcons last year, was not an ideal one.
Waitman's last contract with the Steelers came in just under $1 million, so that is a price the Niners must have been much more comfortable with.
Even so, after the 49ers got a taste of what a good special teams unit can look like last season, they have to be careful to not revert back to their old ways next season.
Special teams coordinator Brant Boyer clearly had a positive impact on the unit, and the 49ers are bringing back Pineiro, long-snapper Jon Weeks, and linebacker Luke Gifford who was a special teams ace in kick coverage. They have lost kick and punt returner Skyy Moore, so they will have to figure out who will replace him.
Maybe Waitman will turn out to be just fine, but bringing back Pinion may have provided more peace of mind on special teams next season.