Chiefs sign Johnny Townsend to practice squad, cut Braxton Hoyett

The Kansas City Chiefs have signed punter Johnny Townsend to their practice squad, according to the NFL’s official transaction report. If the name sounds familiar, it should. Johnny is the older brother of the team’s current active punter, Tommy Townsend.

Johnny, 25, first entered the league as a fifth-round pick made by the Oakland Raiders in the 2018 NFL Draft. He punted 70 times for the Raiders as a rookie and finished 32nd in the league in yards per punt.

The Raiders waived Johnny in August 2019, and he spent time with the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens organizations prior to landing in Kansas City on Tuesday. A two-time All-American at Florida, Johnny holds the second-best yards-per-punt number (46.2) in SEC history.

To make room for Johnny, the Chiefs terminated the practice squad contract of defensive tackle Braxton Hoyett. Hoyett was called up for two Week 2 defensive snaps this season when Khalen Saunders suffered his injury. He had most recently been on the reserve/COVID-19 list.