Townsend played at William R. Boone High School in Orlando. He and his brother were coached by kicking guru, Toby Peabody, though neither were punters under his tutelage. [2] He was initially recruited by Ohio State.[3]
College career
Townsend had the highest Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) punting average in the country in 2016, with a 47.9 yard average.[4] With this average, he also set the all-time punting record for the Florida Gators.[5] Townsend held the FBS record for highest career average yards per punt until 2021, when it was broken by Colorado State punter Ryan Stonehouse.[6]
Townsend was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the fifth round (173rd overall) of the 2018 NFL draft.[9] The pick used to draft him was acquired from the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for Jamize Olawale.[10] 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.[11] In Week 10, against the Los Angeles Chargers, he executed a 42-yard rush on a fake punt.[12] He totaled 70 punts for 3,022 net yards for a 43.17 average in his rookie season.[13] He was waived by the Raiders on August 13, 2019.[14]
New York Giants
On August 14, 2019, Townsend was claimed off waivers by the New York Giants.[15] He was waived on August 31, 2019.[16]
Baltimore Ravens (first stint)
After sitting out the 2019 NFL season, Townsend had a tryouts with the Baltimore Ravens on August 18 and 22, 2020.[17][18] He signed with the team on August 25, 2020.[19] He was waived on September 5, 2020.[20]
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.[22]
On August 17, 2021, Townsend was waived by the Ravens and re-signed to the practice squad on September 1, 2021[23] He was released from the practice squad on September 21, 2021.[24]
Tennessee Titans
Townsend signed with the Tennessee Titans on September 30, 2021.[25] He was waived on October 19, 2021.[26]
Houston Texans
On October 30, 2021, Townsend was signed to the Houston Texans practice squad.[27] On November 2, 2021, Townsend was released by the Texans.[28]
Kansas City Chiefs (second stint)
Townsend was signed to the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad on December 23, 2021.[29] 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 was released on December 28.[30]
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