Former Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton split time between punting and passing in his debut with New England Patriots, with an impressive outing in both spots.
LUBBOCK - Former Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton made his awaited NFL debut with the New England Patriots, and the passer showed that he might be able to offer more than just his arm to the franchise.
The Red Raider turned rookie got his first taste of action as the Patriots' emergency punter after their main boot man, Bryce Baringer exited the matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles with an illness.
While Morton did not ever play the position in Lubbock, he has experience dating back to his time in high school at Eastland. Despite the gap in time, there was not much rust for Morton.
He successfully got off three punts for New England and averaged a total of around 44 yards in the process. Although Morton later noted that he thought his first attempt would be blocked after being caught off-guard by the speed of the Eagles' rushers.
Morton spoke more on the unforeseen opportunity and his willingness to do whatever was asked by the team.
"Tonight was fun. I wasn’t expecting to punt. It’s been since high school since I’ve punted. You’ve just got to make the most of your opportunity when it comes, so I tried to do that tonight," remarked Morton.
Although that display of multiple talents could have been more than enough for the seventh-round pick looking to cement his spot in New England, Morton got to see some reps at his primary position.
And Morton made an impression under center, as well.
In his first NFL action as a quarterback, Morton went 13-of-17 for 129 yards and delivered the eventual game-winning strike to fellow rookie Nick DeGennaro in the 24-21 victory over Philly.
Adding those feats to an already notable outing as the punter, Morton drew serious eyeballs far beyond New England, as he continues to make a push toward the official roster.
As an aforementioned seventh rounder, Morton still is not guaranteed to remain with New England, especially with its future set at the position in Drake Maye.
Leading up to his eventual selection, questions swirled about Morton's viability at the professional level following a shaky end to his storied Texas Tech career, which was plagued by injuries.
However, the spectacle put on by the former standout Red Raider should go a long way in quelling these concerns and move Morton solidly in position to earn a coveted spot on the final 53-man rotation.
