Taylor Symmank hopes to vault from Spring League to Giants

The New York Giants were last in the league in net yards per punt attempt at 36.7 a season ago. That is a big part of the reason Brad Wing is no longer on the team. The Giants traded for Riley Dixon as a potential replacement, but also brought in Taylor Symmank as a free agent.

Let’s look at Symmank as we continue our player-by-player profiles of the 90-man roster.

The basics

Age: 25
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 195
Position: Punter
Experience: Rookie

2017 season in review

Symmank was in camp with the Minnesota Vikings, but was cut at the end of the preseason. He punted 10 times for an average of 43.2 yards, with five punts inside the 20-yard line. Only three of his punts were returned for an average 2.0 yards. His net average was a solid 42.6.

Symmank participated in The Spring League before being signed by the Giants.

2018 outlook

The Giants traded a conditional 2019 seventh-round pick to the Denver Broncos for punter Riley Dixon. Symmank will have to outkick Dixon, Denver’s punter for two seasons before being replaced by Marquette King, to win the job.

Dixon is considered a directional punter, something that is highly valued in today’s game where limiting return damage is a priority. When he was in Minnesota, Symmank was considered the young gun with the big leg who occasionally outkicked his coverage.

The best of both worlds, of course, is to have a punter who can hit directional punts when appropriate, and boom long kicks to change field position when his team is deep in its own territory.

We will see what Dixon and Symmank bring to the table once training camp begins.