Rey Del Rio/Getty Images Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton
Even with a punter on their roster, the Denver Broncos “should not be shy” about trying to sign former Kansas City Chiefs punter Tommy Townsend in free agency, according to FanSided’s Predominantly Orange.
“Current Broncos punter Riley Dixon is not as good,” Lou Scataglia wrote in a February 24 story about how the Broncos “could steal” Townsend from the Chiefs. “The Broncos should not shy away at this potential opportunity to sign Townsend.”
Townsend, 27, is a former first-team All-Pro who will hit the market in March after four years in Kansas City. To fill the pending void left by Townsend, the Chiefs signed Matt Araiza on February 22.
According to FanSided’s Arrowhead Addict, Townsend could land a contract that would pay him $3 million a year, putting him in the top 10 highest paid punters in the league.
Tommy Townsend Could Be an Upgrade for the Broncos
Christian Petersen/Getty ImagesTommy Townsend of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Townsend’s 2022 performance earned him first-team All-Pro selection, a Pro Bowl and a one-year tender worth $2.6 million a year.
“In 2022, he averaged over 50 yards per punt and 47.4 yards per punt over his four-year career. He averages 42.8 net yards per punt and has a career-long 76 yards,” Scataglia wrote. “A whopping 40.8% of his punts have been downed inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.”
Scatalgia compared those numbers with the stats of Dixon, who is entering the second year of a two-year deal that will pay him just over $2 million in 2024.
“Dixon has averaged 45.8 yards per punt over his career and 40.8 net yards per punt. He’s got a career-long of 71 yards and has just 33.5% of his punts downed inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.”
The slightest punt-yard discrepancy can help the Broncos pin their foes deeper into their territory. The 4.2-yard difference in their career averages is crucial, especially in a division featuring Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert.
Townsend can make it more challenging for opponents to reach field goal range as the numbers dictate. The 4-yard difference can be an extra down the other team must cover.
Townsend’s numbers last season were not as good in 2023, but he still averaged a solid 47.1 yards per punt and had a career-high 2,473 net yards.
He was not significantly better than Dixon, though. In fact, Dixon’s 79 punts in 2023 were sixth in the league and his 42.3 net yards per punt was tied for 12th in the league, just ahead of Townsend, who had 41.8 yards per punt.
Pro Football Focus rated Dixon higher (69.2) than Townsend (65.7).
Other Free Agent Punters the Broncos Could Target
Brett Carlsen/Getty ImagesNFL punter Corey Bojorquez
There’s no shortage of free-agent punters the Broncos could try. Aside from Townsend, Spotrac lists Rigoberto Sanchez, Corey Bojorquez, and Jake Bailey as some players whose contracts expire once the 2024 NFL calendar starts. Cameron Johnson, Jake Bailey, Thomas Morstead, and Pressley Harvin III also seek their subsequent contracts.
Meanwhile, Michael Dickson has the most lucrative contract among NFL punters at four years, $14.7 million. Jack Fox has the highest cap hit ($3,975,000), while A.J. Cole has the highest base salary for 2024 at $3,017,000.