FOXBORO — When the New England Patriots drafted Behren Morton in the seventh round of April’s NFL Draft, the team may not have anticipated him getting work as a punter in the preseason.
Yet, here we are. On Saturday night against the Philadelphia Eagles, Morton took all of New England’s second-half quarterback snaps while also mixing in for three punts, which went for an average of 44.3 yards each.
The 24-year-old signal caller has special teams experience dating back to high school, when he served as his team’s kicker, punter and kickoff specialist. He channeled those roots during New England’s win, in relief of punter Bryce Baringer.
“Well, I just assumed all the quarterbacks, they do their little punt thing and see how close they can get to the goal line,” head coach Mike Vrabel said after the win. “So, I figured he could punt. Bryce wasn’t feeling great after the first two punts. I figured instead of risking anything there with Bryce or with Andy (Borregales), that Behren was able to get us out of there.”
According to Morton’s recount, the development seemed to have come together rather quickly.
“Coach (Vrabel) came up to me and just said that if we gotta punt on this drive, you’re going out there,” Morton said. “I was pretty cold at the time, so I went under the net, hit a few balls. I asked (Julian Ashby), ‘How far do I need to stand back?’ He told me 15 yards and catch the ball and just put it down there. Coach (Jeremy) Springer did a good job of lining me up. He said, ‘Just hit it middle, and then we’ll make corrections as we go.'”
While the young quarterback finished with a modest stat line (7/13 passing, 66 passing yards, one touchdown), his biggest accomplishment of the evening was coming away with the victory.
Morton and the offense got the ball back with just over three-and-a-half minutes remaining in regulation, down by four points. Morton proceeded to complete six of his nine passing attempts, including a fourth-down conversion to Kyle Dixon with just over a minute remaining.
The biggest highlight, however, came moments later. Morton hit undrafted free agent Nick DeGennaro down the right sideline for a 37-yard go-ahead touchdown.
“It was a long drive,” Morton said after the game. “It was hats off to the offensive line, keeping me safe, keeping me upright. Nick had a great release, kind of avoided the corner, looked like Cover 2, so kind of put it on the line, where it was him or nobody, didn’t want to put in a dangerous way, but Nick made a great play.”
The drive also caught the attention of Morton’s fellow teammates.
“That was awesome to see,” quarterback Tommy DeVito said. “I was so happy for him. First NFL touchdown. I know it’s preseason, but first pass and touchdown is big. Something he’ll remember forever. … So, testament to him in pushing the guys up-front and the group around him, and finding a way to score.”
Between leading a game-winning drive and the willingness to play punter, Morton’s performance on Saturday night has solidified him as a “Patriots preseason legend.”
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