Townsend Brothers, Johnny and Tommy, are punters in the NFL and they are setting challenges for each other on and off the field. It is rare enough to have one family member playing in the NFL. The Townsend family has two members of the NFL and they happen to play the same position. I was fortunate to get some time with both players after a photo shoot with Nirvana Water Sciences to discuss their travel habits and future.
They both attended and played at the University of Florida, having stellar careers playing for the Gators. I had a great time talking about ups and downs of traveling week after week as well as the uncertainty of playing at the highest level of the game.
I always appreciate hearing from people who excel at their given career to see how travel can affect their performance as well as what they like and don’t like about different areas of the country. These two brothers have already experienced traveling and working in multiple states and cities.
Make sure to follow the brothers on their social media pages to see where they will be playing and what they have coming up.
Connect with the brothers on their social media pages:
ABOUT The Townsend Brothers
Johnny Townsend is an American football punter who is a free agent. He played college football at Florida. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Townsend played at William R. Boone High School in Orlando. He was initially recruited by Ohio State.
College career
Townsend had the highest NCAA Division I 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 NCAA Division I FBS record for highest career average yards per punt until 2021, when it was broken by Colorado State punter Ryan Stonehouse.
Oakland Raiders
Townsend was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round (173rd overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft. The pick used to draft him was acquired from the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for Jamize Olawale. He made his NFL debut in the Raiders’ season opener against the Los Angeles Rams. He had four punts for 178 net yards in the 33–13 loss. In Week 10, against the Los Angeles Chargers, he executed a 42-yard rush on a fake punt. 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. He was waived on August 31, 2019.
Baltimore Ravens
After sitting out the 2019 NFL season, Townsend had a tryout with the Baltimore Ravens 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
Townsend was signed to the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad on November 17, 2020, joining his brother Tommy who is on their active roster.
Baltimore Ravens (second stint)
Townsend was signed by the Baltimore Ravens off the Chiefs’ practice squad on December 31, 2020, after punter Sam Koch was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 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 on September 30, 2021. He was waived on October 19, 2021.
Houston Texans
On October 30, 2021, Townsend was signed to the Houston Texans practice squad. On November 2, 2021, Townsend was released by the Texans.
Kansas City Chiefs (second stint)
Townsend was signed to the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad on December 23, 2021. Following his brother, Tommy, the Chiefs usual punter, testing positive for COVID-19, he was elevated via a standard elevation for the Chiefs week 16 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He reverted back to the practice squad after the game, and later released on December 28.
Thomas Townsend is an American football punter for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He went to high school at William R. Boone High School in Orlando, Florida. He played his freshman year at the University of Tennessee before returning to Florida to play at the University of Florida.
2020 season
After going undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft, Townsend signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent.
In the fourth game of his rookie season in 2020, he had two punts that went 65 yards against the New England Patriots. He finished the game with an average of 60.8 yards, a Chiefs franchise record for punt average in a game (minimum 4 attempts), 47.8 yard net average. On November 1, he completed his first career pass on a fake punt against the New York Jets. The completion went for 13 yards, which resulted in a first down. In Week 15 against the New Orleans Saints, Townsend punted six times, landing three inside the 20-yard-line with a long of 61 yards, earning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. Overall, Townsend finished the 2020 season with 52 punts for 2,339 net yards for a 44.98 average. For his rookie season, he was named to the Pro Football Writers Association’s All-Rookie team.
In the Chiefs playoff game against the Cleveland Browns, he did not punt a single time for the first time in his career. It was the second time in franchise history a Chiefs punter did not punt a single time in a playoff game. The other was Jason Baker in 2003.
2021 season
In the Chiefs Week 9 game against the Green Bay Packers, Townsend punted six times with an average of punt of 56.8 yards with five being downed inside the 20 yard line. For his performance, he was named AFC Special Teams player of the week. The following week, he completed his second career pass on a fake punt for 16 yards. After kicking six punts inside the 20, as well as completing a pass on a fake punt, Townsend was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for November. He was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on December 24, 2021. He was activated on December 29.
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