The Kansas City Chiefs underwent a change this offseason in their special teams room in the form of a new punter, as Tommy Townsend left the team in free agency to sign with the Houston Texans on a 2-year, $6 million deal.
The Chiefs made a controversial replacement, and so far it’s looking like it will pay dividends as a recent video surfaced of Townsend’s replacement hitting bombs in a training session.
In a recent video, new Chiefs punter Matt Araiza, also known as the “Punt God,” was seen hitting punts 85+ yards with substantial hangtime, as the left-footer was seen placing the ball deep in the red zone down the sideline from the opposite 15-yard line.
WOW: New #Chiefs punter Matt Araiza is HITTING BOMBS while training.
The “Punt God” has one of the best legs we’ve ever seen, with the ability to PUNT 85+ YARDS, with a crazy hang time.
(h/t @chiefstorm2)
pic.twitter.com/93gEfe3BSM— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) June 28, 2024
In the video, Araiza was consistently pinning the ball into the corner at an unheard-of distance, and if he can do this consistently in games, the Chiefs will have themselves one of the most valuable weapons in the league.
Kansas City’s defense has to be salivating at the idea of its punter pinning every opposing team’s drive inside the red zone.
Tommy Townsend averaged 47.1 yards per punt last season, which was 18th in the league, and pinned just 20 of his 59 punts inside the 20-yard line.
He also allowed over ten yards per return, so while Townsend was a serviceable punter, Araiza has the chance to raise the bar for this team.
Araiza hasn’t played in the NFL since his notorious off-the-field scandal ended his career before it ever started, but he has gotten another chance and the Chiefs are hoping to reap the benefits.
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