Joseph Charlton (born April 7, 1997) is an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

punter. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

College career

Charlton was a member of the South Carolina Gamecocks for five seasons, redshirting as a true freshman. He was named South Carolina's starting punter going into his redshirt sophomore year. As a redshirt junior, Charlton set a new school record by averaging 44.8 yards per punt and was named second-team

All-Southeastern Conference The All-SEC football team is an annual Southeastern Conference (SEC) honor bestowed on the best players in the conference following every college football season. Seasons

Following is a list of all-conference teams in the history of the SEC: ...

(SEC) by the league's coaches. He broke his own record in his senior season by averaging 47.7 yards per punt and was named second-team All-SEC and was an honorable mention All-American by Pro Football Focus. Charlton finished his collegiate career averaging 45.5 yards per punt, a school record.

Professional career

Carolina Panthers

Charlton was signed by the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

as an undrafted free agent on July 22, 2020. Charlton was named the Panthers punter at the end of the preseason, beating out

Kaare Vedvik Kaare Vedvik (; born March 16, 1994) is a Norwegian professional gridiron football placekicker and punter. He most recently played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Marshall and sig ...

. Charlton made his NFL debut on September 13, 2020, in the season opener against the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...

, punting twice for 120 yards (60.0 average). In Week 9, against 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 ...

, he completed a 29-yard pass to Brandon Zylstra on a trick play. In Week 16, Charlton punted five times all inside the 20-yard-line, including a long of 67 yards in a 20–13 win over the

Washington Football Team The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

, earning

National Football Conference The National Football Conference (NFC) is a conference of the National Football League (NFL), the highest level of professional American football in the United States. The NFC and its counterpart, the American Football Conference (AFC), each h ...

Special Teams Player of the Week. He was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

on October 14, 2021. He was released on November 16, 2021.

Kansas City Chiefs

On December 24, 2021, Charlton was signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

of the

, but was released three days later.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On December 28, 2021, Charlton was signed to the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

practice squad.

Cleveland Browns

Charlton signed a reserve/futures contract with the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

on February 1, 2022. He was waived on August 22, 2022. On May 1, 2023, Charlton re-signed with the Browns. He was waived on August 4, 2023.

References

External links

South Carolina Gamecocks bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Charlton, Joseph 1997 births Living people Players of American football from Columbia, South Carolina A.C. Flora High School alumni American football punters South Carolina Gamecocks football players Carolina Panthers players Kansas City Chiefs players Jacksonville Jaguars players Cleveland Browns players