One of the best punters in recent Southeastern Conference history found out on Tuesday that he is now a free agent.
That’s the word out of Oakland as the Raiders have waived second-year punter Johnny Townsend.
This is surprising news considering the Raiders spent a fifth-round selection on the former Gator standout in the 2018 NFL Draft but Townsend was beaten out in camp by rookie punter A.J. Cole.
During his rookie season with the Raiders, Townsend appeared in all 16 games for Oakland and punted 70 times for 3,022 yards (43.2 avg.) with a net average of 38.3 yards per punt. He also pinned 17 of his punts inside the 20-yard line last season.
Townsend set the Florida school-record for punting average with a 45.4-yard average back in 2016. For reference, Texas A&M’s Braden Mann holds the all-time mark with a 51-yard average.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
