The Seattle Seahawks were laughed at when they traded up in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft to select a punter.
However, it has become very clear after just one season that Michael Dickson is no ordinary punter. After making the Pro Bowl and being named an All-Pro in his first NFL season, Dickson admitted to feeling disappointed about his first go-round in the league, saying he feels he has plenty he can improve upon.
“I think that goes right along with who he is as a person and that’s why he’s going to be really good for a long period of time,” special teams coordinator Brian Schneider commented on Tuesday. “He has a lot of high goals, his work ethic is unbelievable, I have to slow him down so he doesn’t punt so much. So that doesn’t surprise me at all. He is aiming to be the greatest ever.”
Dickson punted 78 times for 3,759 yards last season, an average of 48.2 yards per punt – second in the league to Andy Lee of the Cardinals.
His 69-yarder in Week 1 against the Broncos may have been aided by the high altitude, but it set the tone for what was one of the most impressive seasons by a punter in team history.
Dickson’s quest to become the greatest punter of all-time is off to a good start, and while the Seahawks will hope to use him less next season, it’s reassuring that they’ll be able to flip the field from nearly anywhere with one of the best in the league doing the punting for the foreseeable future.
