05-10-2021, 11:20 AM
(05-10-2021, 10:22 AM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: Mixon doesn't have to catch 50 yard end-over-end kicks (sometimes in the rain) while waiting for guys with full heads of steam running straight for him. Comparing a returner to a RB in fumbles is like trying to compare a QB and a RB in fumbles. It's pointless because they have completely different jobs and experiences.
Top 6 (5 and 6 are tied so I went 6 rather than 5) in punt returns in 2020, fumbles in the last 3 years total:
Nyheim Hines, 2
Ray-Ray McCloud, 7
Jakeem Grant, 4
Andre Roberts, 7
Nsimba Webster, 0 (2 years)
Mecole Hardman, 4 (2 years)
So no, 5 fumbles over 3 years aren't particularly an issue for a punt returner. (I didn't narrow down if they were all punt fumbles, but at least half of those guys aren't really offensive players so it should be close). Keep in mind, muffing a punt, picking it back up, and returning it is still a fumble, even on a fair catch.
I went ahead and narrowed down the data for us.
Only three players in the NFL have more fumbles on punt returns than Alex Erickson’s five over the last three seasons; Ray-Ray McCloud has 6, Deandre Carter has 7 and Tarik Cohen has 6. There are two players tied with Erickson with 5 fumbles. Since 2016, no player in the NFL has more fumbles on punt returns than Erickson’s 12.
Reasons for this are that Erickson wasn’t the most sure handed returner, but he also was the consistent PR for the past few years, so he had more opportunities out there. There are guys with higher fumbles per touch, but those guys never returned punts for more than a season or two.
