Detroit Lions: Stand-in punter Kasey Redfern impressing early

While Detroit Lions punter Kasey Redfern is unlikely to unseat veteran Sam Martin, he is still a quality player who could possibly be traded.

In April, punter Kasey Redfern came to the Detroit Lions to do the unthinkable. He was tasked to stand in for veteran Sam Martin. Although Redfern wasn’t expected to do much, in the short time he’s been with the Lions, the 25-year old has been impressive. And he could actually make the team…if it wasn’t for Martin.

Redfern came into the league in 2014 as a undrafted free agent out of Wofford College to join the Jacksonville Jaguars. According to an article from the Wofford Athletics website, Redfern had a pretty solid college career. He punted 146 times with a 39.6 yard average and had 250 kickoffs with a 61.3 yard average. Kasey also had two carries for 41 yards on fake punts, including a run of 28 yards at Clemson in 2011.

His junior year, Redfern kicked a 53-yard field goal, which got recorded as the longest field goal in Wofford College history.

While Redfern has been mostly a camp body and practice squad player during his short NFL career, this year he has made an impression in Detroit by not sticking out. This means that he has been able to step into Martin’s shoes almost flawlessly.

During the family day mock game at Ford Field, Redfern had a beautiful 50-yard punt from the 30-yard line. It looked as if the ball could have hit a rafter holding up the ceiling before the ball fell like a bomb into the hands of the returner, who had to call for a fair catch at the 10-yard line due to the hang time the ball had.

Redfern had some good punts during the game but did muff a snap in the holder position for kicker Matt Prater. The next day, at practice, you could see him going through field goal holding drills for at least an hour. Redfern seems to have the heart and dedication to be the best at his craft.

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While Kasey Redfern has done enough to make himself look good, it’s unlikely he has future on this roster. But the young punter is certainly making tape for other teams to show interest in him.

It’s hard to know what Lions’ general manager Bob Quinn will do in the end with Redfern. But if the young punter continues to impress through the preseason, he may become valuable enough for Quinn to use in a trade. At this point, if Redfern were cut, I don’t think he would clear waivers to make it onto the Lions’ practice squad.