Ravens sign punter Johnny Townsend to active roster
In the wake of veteran punter Sam Koch producing an inconclusive test for COVID-19 and being placed on the reserve list as a result, the Baltimore Ravens signed punter Johnny Townsend off the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad to their active roster.
If Koch can’t play on Sunday in the Ravens’ ‘win and get in’ game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Townsend will provide the team insurance that they won’t have to turn to Pro Bowl kicker Justin Tucker to perform both duties or forgo punting all together and force the team to be more aggressive on fourth down.
Townsend spent a portion of this year’s training camp with the Ravens and since he never broke COVID protocol, he will be eligible to play on Sunday if needed. He was waived on Sept.5 and signed with the defending Superbowl champions in mid-November.
The third-year pro declared for the draft following a program record-setting season at the University of Florida and was selected in the fifth round by the Oakland Raiders back in 2018. He averaged 43.2 yards per punt as a rookie before being released the following summer and had a brief stint with the New York Giants during their 2019 training camp.
Ravens Special Teams Coordinator Chris Horton met with the media on Thursday for his weekly press conference and did not disclose the team’s plan for Sunday at the punter position in the event that Koch can’t play.
“Justin [Tucker] does a lot of things, he’s a man of many different talents,” Horton said. “He’s out there fooling around every day, giving Sam a hard time. It’s a situation that we’ll assess over the next couple days. I can guarantee you this. We’ll be prepared for whatever situation arises.”
