With the release of longtime veteran Dustin Colquitt in late April, the Chiefs will have a new punter for the 2020 regular season.
The two players vying to replace Colquitt are Tyler Newsome, who signed a free-agent deal on April 8, and rookie Tommy Townsend, who signed as an undrafted free agent.
Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub said he rated Townsend as "the best punter coming out" of college but made it clear there isn't yet a favorite to win the job of becoming the team's first new starter since the 2005 season.
"It is going to be a true competition," Toub said Tuesday afternoon during a Zoom call. "There's nobody really out in front right now as we look at it. I like them both."
Both players possess big legs: Newsome averaged 44 yards per punt at Notre Dame and Newsome posted 44.8-yard average at Florida. And each has another attribute essential to the punter position.
"They consistently hit over 5 (second) hang times, which is really impressive," Toub said.
With all the good, though, there are areas in both guys that the Chiefs' special teams coordinator would like to see improve before deciding on a starter.
"Tommy's a little bit more, I'd say, clean in his technique as far as consistency," Toub said. "Whereas Tyler is a little bit more erratic with his technique, but the results are the same. They both bomb the ball. We just need to clean Tyler up a little more."
Settling on a punter is just one aspect of the competition between Newsome and Townsend. In addition to being the long-time punter in Kansas City, Colquitt was the team's holder on field-goal attempts. His chemistry with long-snapper James Winchester and kicker Harrison Butker was an important part of the Chiefs' success.
From the snap to the hold to the kick, a holder's ability to handle Winchester's snap and get the ball down is critical in not throwing off Butker's rhythm. It's a good thing Toub isn't working with punters who lack experience in that area.
"Both guys that we have _ Tommy and Tyler _ can both hold," Toub said. "Tommy did it last year, started on Florida's team. They're both experienced, and it's an important job. Those guys, they'll rise to the occasion."
The Chiefs' facilities remain closed to players because of the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, but Toub said Butker, Winchester, Newsome and Townsend are working out together on their own.
Toub isn't physically there to observe their progress, but the workouts are videotaped, giving him an opportunity to watch and dissect the training sessions.
"We can't sit down and meet face-to-face and I can't be out there watching them," Toub said. "That's the unfortunate thing, but they video everything they do; they send it to me and then we talk about it on virtual meetings."
Toub can rely on input from Butker and Winchester as he evaluates the two punting candidates from afar before the whole team can finally get together again.
"Harrison and James have kind of taken the leadership role in that whole thing," Toub said. "They know how important that part of it is."
Whether it's Townsend or Newsome who wins the job will be determined this summer, but this position battle clearly commands attention.
"The competition is going to be real fun," Toub said.
