2019 NFL Average Punt Return Allowed Leaders
Return yards allowed divided by punts returned. It shows how well a punter and his coverage team contain returners.
Lower is better. Only punters with enough returns are ranked. In 2019, Bryan Anger (3.1) topped NFL punters in average punt return allowed, ahead of Sam Martin (4.5) and Dustin Colquitt (4.7). 31 punters qualify (minimum 10 returns). The median qualified punter had 7.5.
Final 2019 regular-season numbers, updated October 23, 2026.
| Rk | Player | Team | Avg ret | Punts | Avg | Net | In 20 | In 20 % | TB % | FC % | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bryan Anger | Houston Texans | 3.1 | 45 | 46.5 | 44.5 | 24 | 53% | 4% | 36% | +5.6 |
| 2 | Sam Martin | Detroit Lions | 4.5 | 76 | 45.3 | 41.8 | 31 | 41% | 9% | 29% | −1.0 |
| 3 | Dustin Colquitt | Kansas City Chiefs | 4.7 | 49 | 44.3 | 40.3 | 21 | 43% | 6% | 29% | −6.0 |
| 4 | Logan Cooke | Jacksonville Jaguars | 5.3 | 75 | 46.8 | 44.5 | 25 | 33% | 3% | 35% | +16.3 |
| 5 | Kevin Huber | Cincinnati Bengals | 5.7 | 75 | 45.3 | 42.1 | 30 | 40% | 7% | 40% | +12.2 |
| 6 | Riley Dixon | New York Giants | 5.7 | 71 | 46.1 | 42.3 | 29 | 41% | 3% | 25% | +0.2 |
| 7 | Mitch Wishnowsky | San Francisco 49ers | 5.7 | 52 | 44.9 | 41.6 | 23 | 44% | 4% | 25% | +11.4 |
| 8 | Rigoberto Sanchez | Indianapolis Colts | 5.9 | 59 | 44.4 | 41.2 | 22 | 37% | 2% | 25% | +1.8 |
| 9 | Jake Bailey | New England Patriots | 6.3 | 81 | 44.9 | 41.3 | 36 | 44% | 7% | 22% | +11.4 |
| 10 | Michael Dickson | Seattle Seahawks | 6.3 | 74 | 45.1 | 40.9 | 34 | 46% | 7% | 24% | +9.1 |
| 11 | Cameron Johnston | Philadelphia Eagles | 6.5 | 71 | 46.4 | 42.3 | 28 | 39% | 6% | 27% | +5.6 |
| 12 | Britton Colquitt | Minnesota Vikings | 6.9 | 62 | 45.2 | 42.6 | 24 | 39% | 0% | 39% | −10.6 |
| 13 | Thomas Morstead | New Orleans Saints | 6.9 | 60 | 46.2 | 43.1 | 29 | 48% | 2% | 35% | −0.6 |
| 14 | Lac Edwards | New York Jets | 7.0 | 87 | 45.9 | 41.6 | 28 | 32% | 3% | 15% | +12.9 |
| 15 | Pat O'Donnell | Chicago Bears | 7.1 | 81 | 44.8 | 40.7 | 26 | 32% | 3% | 33% | −5.5 |
| 16 | Jamie Gillan | Cleveland Browns | 7.5 | 64 | 46.2 | 41.3 | 28 | 44% | 10% | 29% | +0.6 |
| 17 | Ty Long | Los Angeles Chargers | 7.6 | 48 | 47.0 | 40.9 | 17 | 35% | 4% | 17% | +0.4 |
| 18 | Matt Haack | Miami Dolphins | 7.9 | 69 | 45.0 | 41.1 | 23 | 33% | 3% | 29% | +4.9 |
| 19 | Johnny Hekker | Los Angeles Rams | 8.3 | 67 | 47.4 | 42.4 | 22 | 33% | 8% | 21% | +8.4 |
| 20 | Chris Jones | Dallas Cowboys | 8.6 | 51 | 41.6 | 37.0 | 18 | 35% | 4% | 36% | −20.6 |
| 21 | Corey Bojorquez | Buffalo Bills | 8.7 | 80 | 41.9 | 37.7 | 34 | 43% | 9% | 33% | −13.6 |
| 22 | Bradley Pinion | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 8.9 | 57 | 43.2 | 38.3 | 19 | 33% | 5% | 32% | −7.3 |
| 23 | J.K. Scott | Green Bay Packers | 9.0 | 77 | 44.0 | 39.9 | 29 | 38% | 5% | 32% | −6.7 |
| 24 | Andy Lee | Arizona Cardinals | 9.0 | 62 | 47.8 | 41.2 | 21 | 34% | 7% | 25% | −7.1 |
| 25 | Tress Way | Washington Commanders | 9.1 | 79 | 49.6 | 44.1 | 30 | 38% | 5% | 24% | +8.2 |
| 26 | Brett Kern | Tennessee Titans | 9.1 | 78 | 47.1 | 43.1 | 37 | 47% | 3% | 24% | +8.4 |
| 27 | Jordan Berry | Pittsburgh Steelers | 9.1 | 74 | 45.5 | 40.9 | 24 | 32% | 5% | 32% | −3.1 |
| 28 | Sam Koch | Baltimore Ravens | 9.5 | 41 | 46.4 | 39.8 | 21 | 51% | 10% | 25% | −7.9 |
| 29 | Colby Wadman | Denver Broncos | 9.8 | 78 | 44.4 | 39.4 | 29 | 37% | 5% | 27% | −8.2 |
| 30 | A.J. Cole | Las Vegas Raiders | 10.6 | 67 | 46.0 | 39.4 | 33 | 49% | 9% | 30% | −5.7 |
| 31 | Michael Palardy | Carolina Panthers | 12.2 | 75 | 46.0 | 38.7 | 25 | 33% | 4% | 21% | −7.9 |
Average Punt Return Allowed in other seasons: 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2018 2017 2016
More 2019 NFL punter leaderboards
- Punts
- Punting Yards
- Gross Punting Average
- Net Punting Average
- Punts Inside the 20
- Inside the 20 Percentage
- Longest Punts
- Punt Touchbacks
- Fair Catches Forced
- Punts Downed
- Punts Out of Bounds
- Punts Returned
- Punt Return Yards Allowed
- Blocked Punts
- Punt Points Added
- Punt Points per 100 Punts
- Fair Catch Percentage
- Punt Touchback Percentage
- Touchbacks Avoided (STOP Rank)
- Punts Out of Bounds Percentage
- Punts Downed Percentage
- Punt Return Percentage
- Return Yards Allowed per Punt
- Opponent Starting Field Position
- Punts Inside the 10
- Punts of 50+ Yards
- 50+ Yard Punt Percentage
- Inside-20 to Touchback Ratio
- Net Average in Opponent Territory
- Net Average in Cold Weather
- Net Average in Wind
Other 2019 NFL rankings
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