All-NFC South Team of the 2010s: Which kickers, punters make the cut?

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All-NFC South Team of the 2010s: Which kickers, punters make the cut?

John Sigler and Jeremy Trottier, Saints Wire · Saints Wire

Mon, Jul 20, 2026 ·

5 min read

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Which New Orleans Saints specialists made the cut for our All-NFC South Team of the 2010s? Did Thomas Morstead and Will Lutz do enough to earn a spot on this all-decade team? They weren't the only Pro Bowl punters and kickers to represent the division, with both the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers sending specialists to the all-star game (while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers struggled to find much consistency in the kicking game). Here's who we're highlighting.

Methodology

One key stat we're relying on is Approximate Value from Pro Football Reference , which PFR defines as "an attempt to put a single number on the seasonal value of a player at any position from any year." In practice, that means giving higher numbers to player who start more games, play more snaps, and do more to help their team win by racking up yards, scoring touchdowns, creating turnovers and sacking quarterbacks, and so on. We're also assigning point values to being named a first-team All-Pro (ten points), second-team All-Pro (five points), and Pro Bowler (three points). And then we're adding those numbers together. Remember, these are all-decade teams for the NFC South, which didn't exist until 2002, and only contributions on the four teams in the division factor into our formula. So Drew Brees earning a Pro Bowl nod with the San Diego Chargers in 2005 doesn't help him, for example.

First team kicker: Matt Bryant

Aug 25, 2018; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Atlanta Falcons punter Matt Bryant (3) warms up prior to the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

Team:Atlanta Falcons (2010 to 2019)
AV:36
Awards:Pro Bowler (1)
Score:39

Matt Bryant was a pretty much perfect example of players who fit the criteria for this list, playing from 2002 to 2019, with 15 of his 18 seasons coming in the NFC South between the Atlanta Falcons and Buccaneers. In 210 career games in the division, he accrued a whopping 357 field goals made on 414 attempts (86.2%) and 508 extra points made on 514 attempts (98.8%). While he did not quite reach the top-10 mark in all-time scoring, he currently sits No. 18 with 1,758 points, which is still enormously impressive. Bryant was a threat every time he stepped on the field to nail some of the hardest attempts possible, making nearly 65% of 5-plus yard attempts during his NFC South stint.

First team punter: Thomas Morstead

Dec 25, 2020; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints punter Thomas Morstead (6) warms up before their game against the Minnesota Vikings at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Team: New Orleans Saints (2010 to 2019)
AV:29
Awards:All-Pro second team (1), Pro Bowler (1)
Score:37

Morstead is more than a great trivia question; he's the last, and only, player to pull off a surprise onside kick in the Super Bowl (and he did it as a rookie). He spent 12 years in New Orleans and remains a beloved figure in team history after having been released back in 2021, largely because of his steady play and strong presence in the community. During this decade Morstead placed 210 of his 572 career punts inside the 20-yard line (36.7%) while only having 48 of them roll into the end zone for a touchback (7.3%). He averaged 42.2 yards per punt, too. That did a lot to set up the Saints defense in favorable field position throughout the 2010s. For context, just five punters met or exceeded those numbers across 17 games last year. One of them signed with the Saints in free agency: Ryan Wright .

Second team kicker: Graham Gano

Dec 19, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Carolina Panthers kicker Graham Gano (9) reacts after kicking a field goal against the Washington Redskins during the first half at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Team: Carolina Panthers (2012 to 2019)
AV:22
Awards:Pro Bowler (1)
Score:25

Gano still ranks second in points scored throughout Panthers franchise history, having hit 165 of his 193 career field goals (85.5%) while making 247 of 260 extra points (95.0%). He had his best year in 2017 by going 29-of-30 on field goals, earning himself a Pro Bowl appearance, but he hit his career-long a year later after booting a field goal from 63 yards out. It's unfortunate that Gano's Panthers career ended after an injury sidelined him for the entire 2019 season, but he won a place with the New York Giants after healing up and held onto it halfway through this decade.

Second team punter: Matt Bosher

HOUSTON, TX - FEBRUARY 05: Matt Bosher #5 of the Atlanta Falcons punts the ball against the New England Patriots in the fourth quarter during Super Bowl 51 at NRG Stadium on February 5, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Team:Atlanta Falcons (2011 to 2019)
AV:16
Awards:N/A
Score:16

Bosher had a solid 9-year run in Atlanta, averaging 40.4 net yards per punt while placing 38.9% of his kicks inside the 20 and drawing a touchback on 4.9% of his tries. He had some gaffes, too, with nine blocked punts and three different seasons with multiple blocks. But he did consistently put the ball deep inside enemy territory and give his defense a chance to get a stop. While Bosher didn't quite reach the same heights as Morstead, he proved he could hold down the job for nearly a decade.

Honorable mention: Wil Lutz, kicker

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - SEPTEMBER 09: Wil Lutz #3 of the New Orleans Saints celebrates with teammates after kicking a game-winning 58 yard field goal as time expires against the Houston Texans at the Mercedes Benz Superdome on September 09, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints won 30-28. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Team:New Orleans Saints (2016 to 2019)
AV:17
Awards:Pro Bowler (1)
Score:20

Lutz only had four years to work with in this project, but he did well with a Pro Bowl nod in 2019 and an impressive run. He went 119 of 136 on field goals (87.5%) and connected on 196 of 202 extra point attempts across 64 games, making some great memories with Saints fans along the way (remember his last-second game winner against the Houston Texans in 2019?). He didn't have the longevity of Matt Bryant or Graham Gano, but you can't fault Lutz for not turning pro sooner than he was able.