Johnny Townsend (American football) explained

Johnny Townsend
Position:Punter
Birth Date:14 February 1995
Birth Place:Leoti, Kansas, U.S.
Height Ft:6
Height In:1
Weight Lb:205
High School:Boone (Orlando, FL)
College:Florida
Draftyear:2018
Draftround:5
Draftpick:173
Pastteams:
Highlights:
Statleague:NFL
Statlabel1:Punts
Statvalue1:83
Statlabel2:Punting yards
Statvalue2:3,587
Statlabel3:Average punt
Statvalue3:43.2

Johnny Townsend (born February 14, 1995) is an American football punter who is a free agent. He played college football at Florida.[1] He was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft. His younger brother Tommy is a punter on the Houston Texans active roster.

Early years

Townsend played at William R. Boone High School in Orlando.[2] He was initially recruited by Ohio State.[3]

College career

Townsend had the highest Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) punting average in the country in 2016, with a 47.9 yard average.[4] With this average, he also set the all-time punting record for the Florida Gators.[5] Townsend held the FBS record for highest career average yards per punt until 2021, when it was broken by Colorado State punter Ryan Stonehouse.[6]

Professional career

Oakland Raiders

Townsend was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round (173rd overall) of the 2018 NFL draft.[7] The pick used to draft him was acquired from the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for Jamize Olawale.[8] He made his NFL debut in the Raiders' season opener against the Los Angeles Rams. He had four punts for 178 net yards in the 33–13 loss.[9] In Week 10, against the Los Angeles Chargers, he executed a 42-yard rush on a fake punt.[10] He totaled 70 punts for 3,022 net yards for a 43.17 average in his rookie season.[11] He was waived by the Raiders on August 13, 2019.[12]

New York Giants

On August 14, 2019, Townsend was claimed off waivers by the New York Giants.[13] He was waived on August 31, 2019.[14]

Baltimore Ravens (first stint)

After sitting out the 2019 NFL season, Townsend had a tryouts with the Baltimore Ravens on August 18 and 22, 2020.[15] [16] He signed with the team on August 25, 2020.[17] He was waived on September 5, 2020.[18]

Kansas City Chiefs (first stint)

Townsend was signed to the practice squad of the Kansas City Chiefs on November 17, 2020, joining his brother Tommy who is on their active roster.[19]

Baltimore Ravens (second stint)

Townsend was signed by the Baltimore Ravens off the Chiefs' practice squad on December 31, 2020, after punter Sam Koch was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.[20]

On August 17, 2021, Townsend was waived by the Ravens and re-signed to the practice squad on September 1, 2021[21] He was released from the practice squad on September 21, 2021.[22]

Tennessee Titans

Townsend signed with the Tennessee Titans on September 30, 2021.[23] He was waived on October 19, 2021.[24]

Houston Texans

On October 30, 2021, Townsend was signed to the Houston Texans practice squad.[25] On November 2, 2021, Townsend was released by the Texans.[26]

Kansas City Chiefs (second stint)

Townsend was signed to the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad on December 23, 2021.[27] Following his brother, Tommy, the Chiefs' usual punter, testing positive for COVID-19, he was elevated via a standard elevation for the Chiefs' week 16 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He reverted back to the practice squad after the game, and later released on December 28.[28]

Orlando Guardians

Townsend joined the Orlando Guardians of the XFL in February 2023.[29] The Guardians folded when the XFL and United States Football League merged to create the United Football League (UFL).[30]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Thompson . Edgar . September 1, 2016 . UF punter Johnny Townsend 'one of defense's best friends' . August 28, 2023 . Orlando Sentinel.
  2. Web site: Hays . Chris . October 2, 2021 . Boone product Johnny Townsend returns to NFL to punt for Titans . August 28, 2023 . Orlando Sentinel . en-US.
  3. Web site: Hays . Chris . February 7, 2013 . Boone punter Johnny Townsend signs with Florida over Ohio State, Alabama - Video . January 7, 2022 . Orlando Sentinel.
  4. Web site: January 10, 2017 . NCAA Punting Statistics - Individual . ncaa.com.
  5. Web site: Pantages . Will . January 13, 2017 . NFL DRAFT TRACKER: WHO IS STAYING, WHO IS LEAVING EARLY? . January 7, 2022 . Florida Gators Athletics.
  6. Web site: NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision Records . November 8, 2021 . NCAA.
  7. Web site: 2018 NFL Draft Listing . May 18, 2023 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en.
  8. Web site: April 28, 2018 . Raiders Select Johnny Townsend In Fifth Round Of 2018 NFL Draft . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20180429061001/https://www.raiders.com/news/article-1/Raiders-Select-Johnny-Townsend-In-Fifth-Round-Of-2018-NFL-Draft/178407c1-424d-4571-80e4-63d492c2fbd5 . April 29, 2018 . May 14, 2018 . Raiders.com.
  9. Web site: Los Angeles Rams at Oakland Raiders - September 10th, 2018 . October 5, 2018 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en.
  10. Web site: Los Angeles Chargers at Oakland Raiders - November 11th, 2018 . March 12, 2019 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en.
  11. Web site: Johnny Townsend 2018 Game Log . March 12, 2019 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en.
  12. Web site: August 13, 2019 . Raiders sign Dorleant and Holsey, waive Cheevers and Townsend . January 7, 2022 . Raiders.com.
  13. Web site: Eisen . Michael . August 14, 2019 . Giants claim punter Johnny Townsend off waivers . January 7, 2022 . Giants.com.
  14. Web site: Eisen . Michael . August 31, 2019 . New York Giants announce 53-man roster . January 7, 2022 . Giants.com.
  15. 1295842559017848832 . AlbertBreer . Today’s tryout/visit list. . August 18, 2020 . August 21, 2020.
  16. 1297274577811275778 . AlbertBreer . Today's tryout/visit list. . August 22, 2020 . August 24, 2020.
  17. Web site: Alper . Josh . August 25, 2020 . Ravens sign Johnny Townsend, DeAndrew White . August 25, 2020 . ProFootballTalk . en-US.
  18. Web site: Mink . Ryan . September 5, 2020 . Ravens' Initial 53-Man Roster Is Set . January 7, 2022 . BaltimoreRavens.com.
  19. Web site: Goldman . Charles . November 17, 2020 . Chiefs sign P Johnny Townsend to practice squad . January 7, 2022 . Chiefs Wire . USA Today.
  20. Web site: Mink . Ryan . December 31, 2020 . Ravens Sign Punter Johnny Townsend With Sam Koch on COVID-19 List . January 7, 2022 . BaltimoreRavens.com.
  21. Web site: Mink . Ryan . September 1, 2021 . Ravens Sign 14 Players to Practice Squad . January 7, 2022 . BaltimoreRavens.com.
  22. Web site: Brown . Clifton . September 21, 2021 . Ravens Sign Two Offensive Tackles to Practice Squad . January 7, 2022 . BaltimoreRavens.com.
  23. Web site: Wyatt . Jim . September 30, 2021 . Titans Add Punter Johnny Townsend to the Roster . January 7, 2022 . TennesseeTitans.com.
  24. Web site: Wyatt . Jim . October 19, 2021 . Titans Place CB Caleb Farley, WR Cameron Batson on Injured Reserve . January 7, 2022 . TennesseeTitans.com.
  25. Web site: October 30, 2021 . Houston Texans Transactions (10-30-2021) . January 7, 2022 . HoustonTexans.com.
  26. Web site: November 2, 2021 . Houston Texans Transactions (11-2-2021) . January 7, 2022 . HoustonTexans.com.
  27. Web site: Goldman . Charles . December 23, 2021 . Chiefs to bring back P Johnny Townsend on the practice squad . January 7, 2022 . Chiefs Wire . USA Today.
  28. Web site: Hays . Chris . December 27, 2021 . Chiefs swap out punting Townsend brothers as COVID hits NFL . January 7, 2022 . OrlandoSentinel.com.
  29. News: Morin . Richard . XFL 2023 rosters: Josh Gordon, Martavis Bryant among the top former NFL players . USAToday.com . February 10, 2023 . January 23, 2024.
  30. Web site: Seifert . Kevin . January 1, 2024 . Newly formed United Football League sets 8 markets, tabs coaches . January 15, 2024 . ESPN.com.