Johnny Townsend (born February 14, 1995) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

punter. He played

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. He was selected by the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

in the fifth round of the

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. His younger brother

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is a punter on the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

active roster.

Early life

Townsend played at

William R. Boone High School William Rennick Boone High School is a Public school (government funded), public high school in Orlando, Florida. Built in 1952, the school is one of twenty-two high schools in the Orange County Public Schools system. History Two new high sch ...

in Orlando. He and his brother were coached by kicking guru, Toby Peabody, though neither were punters under his tutelage. He was initially recruited by

Ohio State The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...

College career

Townsend had the highest

Football Bowl Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...

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

Professional career

Oakland Raiders

Townsend was selected by the

in the fifth round (173rd overall) of the

. The pick used to draft him was acquired from the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

in exchange for Jamize Olawale. He made his NFL debut in the Raiders' season opener against the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

. He had four punts for 178 net yards in the 33–13 loss. In Week 10, against the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

, he executed a 42-yard rush on a

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. He totaled 70 punts for 3,022 net yards for a 43.17 average in his rookie season. He was waived by the Raiders on August 13, 2019.

New York Giants

On August 14, 2019, Townsend was claimed off waivers by the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

. He was waived on August 31, 2019.

Baltimore Ravens (first stint)

After sitting out the

2019 NFL season The 2019 NFL season was the 100th season of the National Football League (NFL) and the 54th of the Super Bowl era. The season began on September 5, 2019, with the NFL Kickoff Game, in which the Green Bay Packers defeated the Chicago Bears. T ...

, Townsend had a tryouts with the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

on August 18 and 22, 2020. He signed with the team on August 25, 2020. He was waived on September 5, 2020.

Kansas City Chiefs (first stint)

Townsend was signed to the

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of the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

on November 17, 2020, joining his brother

who is on their active roster.

Baltimore Ravens (second stint)

Townsend was signed by the

off the Chiefs' practice squad on December 31, 2020, after punter Sam Koch was placed on the reserve/

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

Tennessee Titans

Townsend signed with the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

on September 30, 2021. He was waived on October 19, 2021.

Houston Texans

On October 30, 2021, Townsend was signed to the

practice squad. On November 2, 2021, Townsend was released by the Texans.

Kansas City Chiefs (second stint)

Townsend was signed to the

practice squad on December 23, 2021. Following his brother,

, the Chiefs' usual punter, testing positive for

, he was elevated via a standard elevation for the Chiefs' week 16 game against the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

. He reverted back to the practice squad after the game, and later was released on December 28.

Orlando Guardians

Townsend joined the

Orlando Guardians The Orlando Guardians were a professional American football team based in Orlando, Florida. The Guardians competed in the XFL (2020), XFL. The team was founded by Vince McMahon's Alpha Entertainment as the New York Guardians and were owned-and-o ...

of the XFL in February 2023. The Guardians folded when the XFL and

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

merged to create the United Football League (UFL).

References

External links

Florida Gators bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Townsend, Johnny 1995 births Living people Players of American football from Orlando, Florida William R. Boone High School alumni American football punters Florida Gators football players All-American college football players Oakland Raiders players New York Giants players Baltimore Ravens players Kansas City Chiefs players Tennessee Titans players Houston Texans players 21st-century American sportsmen Orlando Guardians players