The New York Giants added depth to an unexpected position on Wednesday, claiming punter Johnny Townsend off of waivers from the Oakland Raiders.
The addition of Townsend gives the Giants three punters with Riley Dixon and undrafted rookie Ryan Anderson being the others.
Townsend was a fifth-round pick of the Raiders in the 2018 NFL Draft following a record-breaking career at Florida. And despite being likened to Shane Lechler and Marquette King courtesy of head coach Jon Gruden, Oakland decided to go into the 2019 season with rookie A.J. Cole instead.
In 16 games as a rookie, Townsend punted 70 times for 3,022 yards (43.2 yards per punt) and had 17 of those punts downed inside the 20 to just five touchbacks. He also carried out an impressive fake punt that gained 42 yards and a first down.
With the Giants, Townsend will compete against the aforementioned Dixon, who started for the team in 2018, and Anderson, who has drawn praise from his coaches this summer.
The addition of Townsend gives the Giants a full 90-man roster.
