Iron Bowl punters lose their NFL roster spots

 

James Burnip punts for the New Orleans Saints during an NFL preseason matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Aug. 17, 2025, at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
James Burnip punts for the New Orleans Saints during an NFL preseason matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Aug. 17, 2025, at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
The punters who faced off in the last four Iron Bowls both lost their NFL roster spots on Monday.

Alabama’s James Burnip and Auburn’s Oscar Chapman were undrafted rookies trying to make NFL rosters, but on Monday, the New Orleans Saints released Burnip, and the Minnesota Vikings let go of Chapman.

The Saints released Burnip but kept Kai Kroeger, another undrafted rookie punter from South Carolina, who also competed in the SEC.

In three preseason appearances, Burnip punted five times for a 37.6-yard average. Only one return was attempted — a muffed catch by the Chargers that was recovered by New Orleans. He had three punts inside the 20 and no touchbacks.

Kroeger had six punts during the preseason with a 49.7-yard average and 46.0-yard net. Opponents returned two punts for 22 yards total. Like Burnip, one of Kroeger’s punts was muffed but recovered by the opponent. He had two punts inside the 20 and no touchbacks.

Burnip served as the holder for two field goals and three extra points, while Kroeger held for five field goals and one extra point. No kicks were missed while either served as the holder during the preseason.

Chapman punted three times in Minnesota’s three preseason games, averaging 52.3 yards with a 49.3-yard net. One return went for 9 yards, and another was fumbled but recovered. He had no punts inside the 20 and no touchbacks.

Ryan Wright, the Vikings’ punter over the past three years, had six preseason punts for a 47.3-yard average and 39.2-yard net. Opponents returned three of Wright’s punts for a total of 49 yards. He had three punts land inside the 20 and no touchbacks.

With Chapman holding, Will Reichard went 2-for-2 on extra points and 3-for-4 on field goals. With Wright holding, Reichard hit one extra point and 5-of-6 field goals. Chapman’s miss was from 55 yards, Wright’s from 63 yards.

At Alabama, Burnip averaged 43.9 yards on 203 total punts. He ranks third in school history for both number of punts and punting yards and is second in career average.

At Auburn, Chapman posted a 43.5-yard average over 243 punts. He leads Auburn all-time in punts and punting yards and sits fourth in punting average.

Minnesota Vikings punter Oscar Chapman warms up before an NFL preseason contest against the Tennessee Titans on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.
Minnesota Vikings punter Oscar Chapman warms up before an NFL preseason contest against the Tennessee Titans on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.