KC Chiefs roster: Did Tommy Townsend finally lock down punter role?

TAMPA, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 07: Tommy Townsend #5 of the Kansas City Chiefs kicks in Super Bowl LV against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on February 07, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 07: Tommy Townsend #5 of the Kansas City Chiefs kicks in Super Bowl LV against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on February 07, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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Just over a year ago, Tommy Townsend was locked in a competition with Tyler Newsome to replace K.C. Chiefs longtime great punter Dustin Colquitt. For the duration of the season, the Chiefs kept other options on proverbial speed dial, which made it seem as if they weren’t convinced Townsend was going to last. Then even after a somewhat shaky postseason, Townsend is coasting through in 2021.

Last year, the Chiefs clearly felt like a competition between Newsome and Townsend would yield an ideal young replacement for Colquitt after surprisingly deciding to part ways with the veteran. Colquitt made no attempt to hide his feelings of shock, saying that he’d planned on retiring after just one more season with the club but that he wasn’t given that chance to end his career on his own terms. The Chiefs had turned the page.

Then came the COVID-19 pandemic and it was clear that no real competition was going to take place. Minicamps were cancelled and meetings went digital. Instead of working with two punters on the roster in a “true competition” as hoped, Newsome was let go and Townsend was handed the job outright. Fortunately, special teams coach Dave Toub loved Townsend and said, “He’s everything you’re looking for.”

Tommy Townsend seems to have KC Chiefs punter locked up.

Heading into the season, however, the Chiefs always kept a second punter close. With expanded practice squads of up to 16 players, the Chiefs often kept another on hand from Townsend’s brother, Johnny, to re-signing Colquitt late in the year. Some people said it was likely due to COVID protocols and the luxury of having another punter on hand in case Townsend tested positive, but it’s not as the team was doing the same with other specialists like long snapper or kicker. The argument didn’t hold water.

Instead, it was likely due to the fact that Townsend experienced a bit of a roller coaster of a rookie season. He was the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after showing up strong with several solid punts in a win over the New Orleans Saints in December. However, Chiefs Kingdom will also remember the shanked punt of Super Bowl LV, one of several miscues that helped lead to a decisive Bucs victory.

This offseason, however, the Chiefs are rolling forward as if their trio of specialists are all as reliable as the next. Harrison Butker, James Winchester and Townsend are now an established trio, a group working together without backups expected to hold things down in the kicking game. There’s no ghost of Colquitt lingering in Arrowhead. There’s no fellow young player here to take reps. The Chiefs are all-in on Townsend, for better or worse.

Given a full offseason to work with him and a full year in the pros to settle the nerves, Townsend is clearly Toub’s choice for handling important moments of field position for the Chiefs. He had nothing but great things to say about him before his rookie season, and the Chiefs are committed moving forward. Fans can only trust that someone with Toub’s experience knows what’s available on the market and find it heartening that the Chiefs are sticking with their second-year punter.

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