Tommy Townsend
{{Short description|American football player (born 1996)}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Tommy Townsend
| image = File:Tommy Townsend White House 2023 (cropped).jpeg
| caption = Townsend at the White House in 2023
| current_team = Houston Texans
| number = 6
| position = Punter
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1996|11|12}}
| birth_place = Orlando, Florida, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 1
| weight_lb = 191
| high_school = Boone (Orlando)
| college = Tennessee (2015)
Florida (2016–2019)
| undraftedyear = 2020
| pastteams =
- Kansas City Chiefs ({{NFL Year|2020|2023}})
- Houston Texans ({{NFL Year|2024}}–present)
| status = Active
| highlights =
- 2× Super Bowl champion (LVII, LVIII)
- First-team All-Pro (2022)
- Pro Bowl (2022)
- PFWA All-Rookie Team (2020)
| statweek =
| statseason = 2024
| statlabel1 = Punts
| statvalue1 = 277
| statlabel2 = Punting yards
| statvalue2 = 13,182
| statlabel3 = Average Punt
| statvalue3 = 47.6
| statlabel4 = Net punting average
| statvalue4 = 43.1
| statlabel5 = Inside 20
| statvalue5 = 121
| statlabel6 = Longest punt
| statvalue6 = 76
| pfr = TownTo01
}}
Thomas Townsend (born November 12, 1996) is an American professional football punter for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers and Florida Gators, and was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2020.
Professional career
{{NFL predraft
| height ft = 6
| height in = 1 3/8
| weight = 191
| dash = 4.75
| ten split = 1.64
| twenty split = 2.74
| arm span = 32 1/8
| hand span = 9 1/8
| note = All values from NFL Combine{{Cite web |title=Tommy Townsend Draft and Combine Prospect Profile |url=https://www.nfl.com/prospects/tommy-townsend/3200544f-5777-4004-6a3d-849812aa5a32 |access-date=February 8, 2021 |website=NFL.com}}{{Cite web |title=Tommy Townsend, Florida, P, 2020 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football |url=https://draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1002506&DraftYear=2020 |access-date=November 5, 2021 |website=draftscout.com}}
}}
=Kansas City Chiefs=
==2020 season==
Townsend signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent on April 30, 2020.{{cite web | url=https://www.footballdb.com/players/tommy-townsend-townsto01/transactions | title=Tommy Townsend | publisher=footballdb.com | accessdate=December 28, 2023}} In the fourth game of his rookie season, 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.{{Cite web |title=New England Patriots at Kansas City Chiefs – October 5th, 2020 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/202010050kan.htm |access-date=November 3, 2020 |website=Pro Football Reference |language=en}} 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.{{Cite web |title=New York Jets at Kansas City Chiefs – November 1st, 2020 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/202011010kan.htm |access-date=November 3, 2020 |website=Pro Football Reference |language=en}} 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 the American Football Conference (AFC) Special Teams Player of the Week.{{Cite web |last=Gordon |first=Grant |date=December 23, 2020 |title=Bills QB Josh Allen, Cardinals QB Kyler Murray lead Players of the Week |url=https://www.nfl.com/news/bills-qb-josh-allen-cardinals-qb-kyler-murray-lead-players-of-the-week |access-date=March 11, 2021 |website=NFL.com}} Overall, Townsend finished the 2020 season with 52 punts for 2,339 net yards for a 44.98 average.{{Cite web |title=Tommy Townsend 2020 Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TownTo01/gamelog/2020/ |access-date=March 11, 2021 |website=Pro Football Reference |language=en}} For his rookie season, he was named to the Pro Football Writers Association's All-Rookie team.{{Cite web |last=Hays |first=Chris |date=January 22, 2021 |title=Boone, Gators product Tommy Townsend earns NFL All-Rookie honors |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/florida-gators/os-sp-uf-tommy-townsend-chiefs-all-rookie-20210122-boczhb5wivhjjbfw2a6a2znfbu-story.html |access-date=March 11, 2021 |website=Orlando Sentinel}}
In the Chiefs' playoff game against the Cleveland Browns, he did not punt a single time for the first time in his career.{{Cite web |title=Divisional Round – Cleveland Browns at Kansas City Chiefs – January 17th, 2021 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/202101170kan.htm |access-date=March 11, 2021 |website=Pro Football Reference |language=en}} 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. The Chiefs reached Super Bowl LV but lost 31-9 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Townsend punted three times for 107 yards in the loss.
==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.{{Cite web |date=November 10, 2021 |title=Chiefs punter Tommy Townsend wins AFC Special Teams Player of the Week |url=https://www.kmbc.com/article/tommy-townsend-wins-afc-special-teams-player-of-the-week/38215406 |access-date=January 7, 2022 |website=KMBC.com}} The following week, he completed his second career pass on a fake punt for 16 yards. After kicking six punts inside the 20-yard line, as well as completing a pass on a fake punt, Townsend was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for November.{{Cite web |last=Simmons |first=Myles |date=December 2, 2021 |title=Tommy Townsend is the AFC special teams player of the month |url=https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/12/02/tommy-townsend-is-the-afc-special-teams-player-of-the-month/ |access-date=January 7, 2022 |website=ProFootballTalk |language=en-US}} He was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on December 24, 2021.{{Cite web |last=Goldman |first=Charles |date=December 24, 2021 |title=Chiefs P Tommy Townsend latest to be placed on Reserve/COVID-19 list |url=https://chiefswire.usatoday.com/2021/12/24/kansas-city-chiefs-tommy-townsend-reserve-covid-19-list/ |access-date=January 7, 2022 |website=Chiefs Wire |language=en-US}} On December 26, his brother Johnny started in replacement of him.{{Cite web |title=Chiefs 36-10 Steelers (Dec 26, 2021) Box Score |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/boxscore/_/gameId/401326565 |access-date=2024-02-22 |website=ESPN |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Johnny Townsend Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TownJo01.htm |access-date=2024-02-22 |website=Pro Football Reference |language=en}} He was activated on December 29.{{Cite web |last=Goldman |first=Charles |date=December 29, 2021 |title=Chiefs activate 4 players from Reserve/COVID-19 list |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/chiefs-activate-4-players-covid-230517219.html |access-date=January 7, 2022 |website=sports.yahoo.com |language=en-US}} Overall, Townsend finished the season with 37 punts for 1,746 net yards for a 47.19 average.{{Cite web |title=Tommy Townsend 2021 Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TownTo01/gamelog/2021/ |access-date=January 28, 2023 |website=Pro Football Reference |language=en}}
==2022 season==
File:Tommy Townsend (23668) (cropped).jpg
Townsend earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September.{{Cite web |last=Alper |first=Josh |date=September 29, 2022 |title=Tommy Townsend nabs AFC special teams player of the month |url=https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/09/29/tommy-townsend-nabs-afc-special-teams-player-of-the-month/ |access-date=January 28, 2023 |website=ProFootballTalk |language=en-US}} He earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his Week 15 game against the Houston Texans.{{Cite web |last=McMullen |first=Matt |date=December 21, 2022 |title=Tommy Townsend Named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week |url=https://www.chiefs.com/news/tommy-townsend-named-afc-special-teams-player-of-the-week-x4826 |access-date=January 28, 2023 |website=Kansas City Chiefs |language=en-US}} He finished the 2022 season with 53 punts for 2,672 net yards for a 50.42 average.{{Cite web |title=Tommy Townsend 2022 Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TownTo01/gamelog/2022/ |access-date=January 28, 2023 |website=Pro Football Reference |language=en}} For his efforts, he earned Pro Bowl and first team All-Pro honors.{{Cite web |title=2022 NFL Pro Bowlers |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2022/probowl.htm |access-date=January 28, 2023 |website=Pro Football Reference |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=2022 NFL All-Pros |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2022/allpro.htm |access-date=January 28, 2023 |website=Pro Football Reference |language=en}} In Super Bowl LVII, Townsend punted twice for 98 yards in the Chiefs 38–35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.{{Cite web |title=Super Bowl LVII – Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs – February 12th, 2023 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/202302120phi.htm |access-date=March 24, 2023 |website=Pro Football Reference |language=en}}
==2023 season==
Townsend finished the 2023 season with 59 punts for 2,776 net yards for a 47.05 average.{{Cite web |title=Tommy Townsend 2023 Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TownTo01/gamelog/2023/ |access-date=February 16, 2024 |website=Pro Football Reference |language=en}} In Super Bowl LVIII, Townsend punted five times for 254 yards in the Chiefs' 25-22 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, giving Townsend his second straight championship.{{Cite web |title=Super Bowl LVIII - San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs - February 11th, 2024 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/202402110kan.htm |access-date=February 16, 2024 |website=Pro Football Reference |language=en}}
=Houston Texans=
On March 15, 2024, Townsend signed a two-year contract with the Houston Texans.{{Cite web |date=March 15, 2024 |title=Houston Texans Transactions (03-15-2024) |url=https://www.houstontexans.com/news/houston-texans-transactions-03-15-2024 |access-date=2024-09-07 |website=HoustonTexans.com |language=en-US}} In the 2024 season, he punted 76 times for 3,649 yards for a 48.01 average.{{Cite web |title=Tommy Townsend 2024 Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TownTo01/gamelog/2024/ |access-date=2025-01-14 |website=Pro Football Reference |language=en}}
NFL career statistics
| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
! colspan="2"| Legend |
| style="background:#afe6ba; width:3em;"|
| Won the Super Bowl |
| Bold
| Career high |
=Regular Season=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" | ||||||
| rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team ! rowspan="2"| GP ! colspan="5"| Punting | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Punts | Yds | Avg | Lng | Blk | ||
| 2020 | KC
| 16 || 52 || 2,339 || 45.0 || 67 || 0 | |||||
| 2021 | KC
| 16 || 31 || 1,746 || 47.2 || 68 || 0 | |||||
| 2022 | style="background:#afe6ba; width:3em; | KC
| 17 || 53 || 2,672 || 50.4 || 76 || 0 | |||||
| 2023 | style="background:#afe6ba; width:3em; | KC
| 17 || 59 || 2,776 || 47.1 || 68 || 0 | |||||
| 2024 | HOU
| 17 || 76 || 3,649 || 48.0 || 69 || 1 | |||||
| colspan="2"| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TownTo01.htm Career] | 66 | 201 | 9,533 | 47.4 | 76 | 0 |
= Postseason =
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" | ||||||
| rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team ! rowspan="2"| GP ! colspan="5"| Punting | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Punts | Yds | Avg | Lng | Blk | ||
| 2020 | KC
| 3 || 4 || 151 || 37.8 || 51 || 0 | |||||
| 2021 | KC
| 3 || 10 || 435 || 43.5 || 57 || 0 | |||||
| 2022 | style="background:#afe6ba; width:3em; | KC
| 3 || 10 || 452 || 45.2 || 60 || 0 | |||||
| 2023 | style="background:#afe6ba; width:3em; | KC
| 4 || 15 || 715 || 47.7 || 62 || 0 | |||||
| 2024 | HOU
| 2 || 6 || 266 || 44.3 || 67 || 0 | |||||
| colspan="2"| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TownTo01.htm Career] | 15 | 45 | 2,019 | 44.9 | 67 | 0 |
Personal life
Townsend is an Eagle Scout.{{Cite web |last=Derr |first=Aaron |date=February 9, 2024 |title=The Chiefs' punter is an Eagle Scout, plus more good news from this week |url=https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2024/02/09/the-chiefs-punter-is-an-eagle-scout-plus-more-good-news-from-this-week/ |access-date=February 16, 2024 |website=Aaron On Scouting |language=en-US}} His older brother, Johnny, is a former professional punter who also played at the University of Florida.{{Cite web |last=Goldman |first=Charles |date=December 23, 2021 |title=Chiefs to bring back P Johnny Townsend on the practice squad |url=https://chiefswire.usatoday.com/2021/12/23/kansas-city-chiefs-johnny-townsend-re-signed-practice-squad/ |access-date=January 16, 2024 |website=Chiefs Wire|publisher=USA Today |language=en-US}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.houstontexans.com/team/players-roster/tommy-townsend/ Houston Texans bio]
- [https://utsports.com/sports/football/roster/tommy-townsend/1100 Tennessee Volunteers bio]
- [https://floridagators.com/sports/football/roster/tommy-townsend/11680 Florida Gators bio]
{{Houston Texans roster navbox|state=collapsed}}
{{Super Bowl LVII}}
{{Super Bowl LVIII}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Townsend, Tommy}}
Category:William R. Boone High School alumni
Category:American football punters
Category:Tennessee Volunteers football players
Category:Florida Gators football players
Category:Kansas City Chiefs players
Category:Players of American football from Orlando, Florida
Category:American Conference Pro Bowl players