Punters are people, too.
Born to European basketball player in Ghent, Belgium, Corliss Waitman spent most of his early life playing soccer in the Netherlands. He began playing football at age-15 when his family moved to the United States.
As a South Alabama Jaguar, Waitman was named preseason third-team All-American (Athlon Sports), preseason first-team all-Sun Belt Conference (Athlon Sports). His junior year, Waitman punted in every game. He was chosen as honorable mention on the inaugural All-American Punter team. He ranked third on the organization’s top five list of Coffin Kickers with a 89.86 rating and was a first-team all-Sun Belt Conference selection. He averaged a school-record 45.24 yards per punt, which ranked first in the conference and was eighth in the country. Corliss posted an average of 45 yards or higher in seven of 12 contests and had at least two punts inside the 20 nine different times.
P #17 Corliss Waitman Age: 26
Height: 6’2” Weight: 210 lbs
College: South Alabama
After stints with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Las Vegas Raiders, the Steelers (again), Waitman was claimed off of waivers by the Denver Broncos on January 17, 2022. In his professional career, he has punted 7-times with an average of 52.14-yards per punt. His longest punt was 63-yards and dropped a punt inside the 20-yardline just once.
How Waitman fits with the Broncos
The thing about these special teams skill-position players is that they’re always a long-shot to unseat the incumbent, until they do. Broncos punter Sam Martin is in the last year of a 3-year contract that will pay him $1.7 million in 2022. It’s hard to compare stats between the two since Waitman’s sample size is so small.
Final Thoughts
Going into training camp, Waitman looks to a little more than a camp leg. With Martin’s deal expiring at the end of this season, now is the time for some good old-fashioned competition at punter. Martin’s skill appears to be his ability to drop the ball inside the 20. Waitman will have to demonstrate an ability in that area, as well as maintain a healthy average punt distance. With a base salary of $825,000 this season, the opportunity is there for Waitman to make the team.
Can Corliss Waitman show up and outperform Sam Martin? We’ll soon see.
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