Oakland Raiders release punter Johnny Townsend

The Oakland Raiders got a solid effort from UDFA rookie A.J. Cole Saturday, and released his competition on Tuesday.

The Oakland Raiders have released second-year punter Johnny Townsend, after a disappointing rookie campaign that resulted in a 43.5 yard season average. Going into camp, the Raiders had brought in UDFA AJ Cole, a rookie out of North Carolina State, who has reportedly won the starting punting role, for the time being at least.

Saturday evening against the Los Angeles Rams, Townsend had a rough night, and finished with three punts for 127 yards and a 42.3 yard average, with one punt going only 34 yards. Townsend’s inability to move the ball downfield and pin the offense is a reminder of the woes that he faced throughout the 2018 season in which his best play on the punt team was a 42 yard fake punt against the Los Angeles Chargers in week 10.

AJ Cole, may have earned the starting role for the time being, but knowing Jon Gruden, we can almost expect the Raiders to bring in at least one more punter for the team to try out to ensure the kicking game is covered this season. Cole adds dimension to his game by being able to perform kick offs and also served as the holder during the preseason win on Saturday.

Cole finished the first preseason contest with 4 punts for 172 yards with a 43 yard average and 2 punts downed within the 20 yard line.

Following the game, Gruden spoke highly of Cole’s kicking ability stating ” We haven’t seen kicks like that since [Shane] Lechler was here, or [Marquette] King.” The Raiders have a rich history at punter and have had some of the greatest in the game including the G.O.A.T Ray Guy. As today’s practice begins, the starting punter role is AJ Cole’s.