2022 NFL Return Yards Allowed per Punt Leaders
Total return yards allowed divided by every punt that was not blocked, so a fair catch or an out-of-bounds punt counts as zero. College punts whose play text records no outcome are left out. It is the fairest single measure of how much a returner gets to work with.
Lowest comes first. Coverage teams share the credit. In 2022, J.K. Scott (0.8) topped NFL punters in return yards allowed per punt, ahead of Pressley Harvin (2.0) and Mitch Wishnowsky (2.5). 33 punters qualify (minimum 30 punts). The median qualified punter had 3.8.
Final 2022 regular-season numbers, updated October 23, 2026.
| Rk | Player | Team | Ret yds/punt | Punts | Avg | Net | In 20 | In 20 % | TB % | FC % | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | J.K. Scott | Los Angeles Chargers | 0.8 | 73 | 43.6 | 41.5 | 28 | 38% | 7% | 45% | −3.3 |
| 2 | Pressley Harvin | Pittsburgh Steelers | 2.0 | 69 | 44.5 | 41.1 | 20 | 29% | 7% | 32% | −7.1 |
| 3 | Mitch Wishnowsky | San Francisco 49ers | 2.5 | 61 | 43.9 | 39.7 | 32 | 52% | 8% | 28% | +3.2 |
| 4 | Jordan Stout | Baltimore Ravens | 2.6 | 57 | 45.9 | 40.5 | 26 | 46% | 14% | 35% | +7.2 |
| 5 | Tress Way | Washington Commanders | 2.6 | 83 | 46.8 | 43.0 | 37 | 45% | 6% | 31% | +20.5 |
| 6 | Michael Palardy | New England Patriots | 2.7 | 43 | 42.4 | 36.4 | 10 | 23% | 12% | 26% | −15.0 |
| 7 | Matt Haack | Indianapolis Colts | 2.7 | 71 | 44.8 | 40.6 | 28 | 39% | 4% | 31% | −4.5 |
| 8 | Johnny Hekker | Carolina Panthers | 2.9 | 81 | 48.5 | 44.1 | 39 | 48% | 7% | 38% | +4.8 |
| 9 | Blake Gillikin | New Orleans Saints | 3.1 | 77 | 46.4 | 41.5 | 32 | 42% | 9% | 32% | +2.2 |
| 10 | Michael Dickson | Seattle Seahawks | 3.1 | 66 | 48.5 | 44.4 | 22 | 33% | 5% | 18% | +18.4 |
| 11 | Sam Martin | Buffalo Bills | 3.2 | 46 | 47.7 | 41.3 | 16 | 35% | 11% | 29% | +8.3 |
| 12 | Tommy Townsend | Kansas City Chiefs | 3.3 | 53 | 50.4 | 45.6 | 22 | 42% | 8% | 30% | +5.4 |
| 13 | Logan Cooke | Jacksonville Jaguars | 3.5 | 58 | 49.3 | 43.8 | 24 | 41% | 10% | 17% | +9.5 |
| 14 | Pat O'Donnell | Green Bay Packers | 3.7 | 54 | 44.5 | 38.9 | 24 | 44% | 2% | 35% | −10.3 |
| 15 | Arryn Siposs | Philadelphia Eagles | 3.7 | 45 | 45.6 | 39.6 | 16 | 36% | 7% | 25% | −2.6 |
| 16 | Jamie Gillan | New York Giants | 3.7 | 75 | 46.8 | 40.1 | 26 | 35% | 12% | 32% | +2.6 |
| 17 | Corliss Waitman | Denver Broncos | 3.8 | 96 | 46.6 | 41.5 | 30 | 31% | 6% | 30% | +7.9 |
| 18 | Bryan Anger | Dallas Cowboys | 3.8 | 68 | 48.4 | 42.8 | 27 | 40% | 9% | 34% | −1.2 |
| 19 | Ryan Wright | Minnesota Vikings | 4.0 | 74 | 47.4 | 42.5 | 32 | 43% | 1% | 30% | −3.6 |
| 20 | Bradley Pinion | Atlanta Falcons | 4.0 | 62 | 45.9 | 41.2 | 23 | 37% | 3% | 35% | −3.7 |
| 21 | Jake Bailey | New England Patriots | 4.1 | 37 | 42.1 | 35.3 | 12 | 32% | 14% | 22% | +3.0 |
| 22 | Trenton Gill | Chicago Bears | 4.3 | 67 | 46.0 | 40.3 | 20 | 30% | 5% | 30% | +3.0 |
| 23 | Braden Mann | New York Jets | 4.4 | 83 | 46.9 | 40.6 | 27 | 33% | 10% | 19% | −13.5 |
| 24 | Cameron Johnston | Houston Texans | 4.6 | 88 | 48.1 | 42.6 | 37 | 42% | 5% | 25% | +4.4 |
| 25 | A.J. Cole | Las Vegas Raiders | 4.6 | 59 | 48.9 | 43.6 | 26 | 44% | 3% | 27% | −0.8 |
| 26 | Jake Camarda | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4.7 | 79 | 48.8 | 41.6 | 22 | 28% | 13% | 27% | −6.4 |
| 27 | Andy Lee | Arizona Cardinals | 5.0 | 68 | 47.1 | 40.3 | 18 | 26% | 6% | 24% | −16.5 |
| 28 | Thomas Morstead | Miami Dolphins | 5.1 | 61 | 46.4 | 40.6 | 28 | 46% | 3% | 25% | −1.4 |
| 29 | Kevin Huber | Cincinnati Bengals | 5.2 | 31 | 43.2 | 37.4 | 9 | 29% | 3% | 42% | −11.4 |
| 30 | Corey Bojorquez | Cleveland Browns | 5.2 | 61 | 48.5 | 41.0 | 23 | 38% | 11% | 15% | +5.6 |
| 31 | Riley Dixon | Los Angeles Rams | 5.2 | 73 | 48.4 | 40.8 | 19 | 26% | 6% | 20% | −16.2 |
| 32 | Jack Fox | Detroit Lions | 6.0 | 52 | 48.6 | 41.4 | 14 | 27% | 6% | 17% | +0.3 |
| 33 | Ryan Stonehouse | Tennessee Titans | 7.1 | 90 | 53.1 | 44.0 | 30 | 33% | 10% | 12% | +12.9 |
Return Yards Allowed per Punt in other seasons: 2026 2025 2024 2023 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016
More 2022 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
- Average Punt Return 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
- 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 2022 NFL rankings
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