Detroit Lions: Healthy Sam Martin provides boost to special teams

Sam Martin suffered an injury that caused him to miss games and play poorly. The Detroit Lions need their punter to return to form.

Special teams are an often overlooked facet of football. The Detroit Lions have one of the best all-around units in the NFL. 2017 wasn’t kind to the punt team, who took a step back.

A preseason injury to Sam Martin caused the Pro Bowl caliber punter to miss six games. Once he returned to the lineup, it was easy to see he wasn’t himself.

Only one player in NFL history bested his 2016 net average of 44.2 yards. Last season was a huge drop in production, only averaging 37.6 net yards.

When healthy, the sixth year pro is arguably the best punter in the league. There was a very noticeable decline in coverage. Most importantly, the Lions gave up more field position.

Martin is an underrated piece that’s needed to take the next step forward and stay competitive against some tough opponents. With football being a game of inches, every one of them counts.

Detroit isn’t taking any chances of another letdown. This offseason, Ryan Santoso signed an undrafted free agent contract as competition. He saw action as a punter and placekicker for the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

I think Santoso is the wakeup call Martin needs to get back to form and possibly exceed beyond his already high expectations.

A strong punter gives you a leg up in any contest and the Lions are damn lucky they have one. It starts with special teams, then trickles down to the defense and even the offense.

Next: 3 Lions who could be surprise cuts come September

Apparently the fifth round is where you find All-Pro level talent at punter and returner (Jamal Agnew) if you’re Detroit. Hopefully Sam is done stepping on seashells down by the seashore and only punting pigskins down to the pylons.