The only game Brett Kern has played since the Tennessee Titans released him at the end of the preseason has been the waiting game.
His patience paid off.
The three-time Pro Bowl punter is back in the NFL – as a member of the best team. Kern will sign with the Philadelphia Eagles, according to an ESPN report, after he worked out for team officials Monday afternoon.
The Eagles, 11-1 and the first team to clinch a playoff berth this season, needed a punter after Aaron Syposs, who has been their punter all season, when he was injured Sunday against the New York Giants. Syposs sustained a leg injury after he picked up a blocked punt, tried to run for a first down and was tackled along the sideline.
Kicker Jake Elliott punted once against the Giants after Syposs was hurt.
Kern was the Titans’ punter for 197 games from midway through the 2009 season, when he was claimed off waivers from the Denver Broncos, through the end of last season. He is the franchise’s career leader in gross punting average (45.9 yards), net punting average (40.8 yards) and punts inside the 20 (373). He posted the top nine net punting averages in franchise history, and his 49.7-yard net average in 2017 is among the top 10 in NFL history (eighth).
Kern made the Pro Bowl in three straight seasons (2017-19) and was a first-team All-Pro in 2019.
The Titans replaced him this season with rookie Ryan Stonehouse, who currently leads the NFL in gross punting average at 53.4 yards and is third in net punting average at 44.4 yards. However, seven of Stonehouse’s punts this season have resulted in touchbacks. That is more than Kern had in the last three seasons combined.
If Kern remains with Philadelphia for the remainder of the season, it will mark the fifth time in his career he will punt in the postseason. The first four were with Tennessee (2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021).
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