Oakland Raiders: What are the team’s options at the punter position?
By Justin Fried
The Oakland Raiders have a battle brewing at the punter position this summer. But could the team also explore external options to sure up their special teams unit?
The Oakland Raiders will have their fair share of position battles to watch unfold this summer. From wide receiver to tight end to linebacker, there should be no shortage of competition in training camp and the preseason.
Heck, we’ll even be witness to a glorious long snapper battle between the likes of Andrew DePaola and Trent Sieg.
But one position battle that should not go overlooked is the competition at punter. The duo of Johnny Townsend and A.J. Cole will be competing this summer to see who can earn the prestigious honor of being named the Raiders punter.
Townsend was drafted by the Raiders in the fifth round of last year’s draft and punted all 16 games with the team in 2018. However, the Florida product struggled mightily in his rookie season.
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The incumbent Townsend averaged just 43.2 gross yards per punt which ranked 32nd in a league with only 32 punters. Hit net average of 38.2 wasn’t much better either as it ranked just 30th in the NFL.
The 24-year-old was a frequent resident of “Shank City” and his struggles drew the ire of Raiders fans who didn’t appreciate the rookie’s growing pains. Townsend has never had the strongest leg which could hurt his average, but nothing hurt his stats more than his shanks.
Still, the 2018 fifth-round pick remains the favorite for the job.
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His main competition will be the aforementioned A.J. Cole. Cole is an undrafted rookie who has spent the last four seasons punting at NC State. He holds numerous school records with the Wolfpack and was considered one of the top punters in this draft class.
Cole is notorious for having a much stronger leg than Townsend, however, his coffin-corner ability has never been his strength. Instead, the 23-year-old relies on high-arching, booming punts with a significant amount of hang time to pin opponents deep.
The NC State product averaged 42.2 yards per punt over his four collegiate seasons and also has experience pulling kickoff duty.
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But an area where Townsend has the edge has been with his holding ability. Townsend has been praised by special teams coach Rich Bisaccia who called the incumbent punter a “tremendous holder and a tremendous athlete,” in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
That athleticism definitely helped him last season when he rushed for 42 yards on a fake punt in a game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
So while Cole has the booming, powerful leg and above-average hangtime, Townsend is more accurate (aside from the shanks) and is a better athlete and holder.
Oakland could also explore external options with the most obvious being longtime Raiders punter Marquette King. King is somewhat of a controversial figure in Oakland and his poor relationship with head coach Jon Gruden has been noted in the past.
But from a pure performance standpoint, King is more proven than either Towsend or Cole.
The other most notable veteran name still on the market is 15-year NFL veteran Donnie Jones who punted for the Los Angeles Chargers last season.
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The punter battle should remain competitive all throughout the preseason and whether it’s Townsend, Cole, or a player not currently on the roster, Raiders fans will be hoping for an improvement over last season’s fiasco.