49ers Punter Competition Hits a Bump in the Road

The San Francisco 49ers are expected to have a punter competition this offseason, but right now, that competition has not fully started.

The San Francisco 49ers punter competition has been delayed

The 49ers moved on from Thomas Morstead this offseason. They added Corliss Waitman from the Pittsburgh Steelers and also reportedly brought in rookie UDFA Jack Bouwmeester from Texas. However, when the 49ers reported for OTAs, there was only one punter on the 90-man roster. Bouwmeester was nowhere to be found.

To avoid speculation, Bouwmeester's agent cleared things up and made it known that Bouwmeester is still expected to join the roster at some point. The 49ers do plan to have him in the punter competition, and the question is more about when this will happen, not if.

On one hand, it is easy to think that the 49ers would like Bouwmeester to come in and take the job. He is the younger player, and he is going to be signed to a slightly cheaper deal. More than that, the Steelers moved on from Waitman and were not happy with him, often bringing in competition for him throughout his career.

Waitman has the profile of a stopgap veteran who should only be on a team's roster because their current punter is hurt or working through a visa issue. So, there is a real chance that Bouwmeester can come in and win the job cleanly without OTAs.

However, this is still a rookie, even if the position is punter. There are going to be adjustments to the NFL, and the veteran is already working hands-on with the coaches and the rest of the special teams unit. This is not the path that Bouwmeester envisioned when he saw a chance at the NFL.

The delay has also left Waitman as the lone punter working with the team during OTAs. While the 49ers expect Bouwmeester to arrive by training camp, Waitman is currently getting every opportunity to work with the coaching staff and special teams unit. That does not guarantee him the job, but it does give him a head start while Bouwmeester remains unable to participate.

The good news for Bouwmeester is that the 49ers still expect him to be in camp, which means there should be plenty of time for a legitimate competition. The team clearly wants to evaluate both players before making a decision, and that is hard to do when only one punter is on the field.

The hope is that Bouwmeester can get into the United States and be signed by the start of training camp. If he can get things resolved by then, the competition should still be alive. If he cannot, the odds of him making the roster will get much lower.

For now, the competition is not canceled. It is on hold until Bouwmeester arrives and gets his chance to compete.

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