2026 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 2026, Michael Dickson (2.8) topped NFL punters in average punt return allowed, ahead of Logan Cooke (7.0) and Daniel Whelan (7.0). 31 punters qualify (minimum 4 returns). The median qualified punter had 9.9. This season is in progress (through Week 7), so the numbers change each week.
Data through Week 7 of the 2026 season, updated October 24, 2026.
| Rk | Player | Team | Avg ret | Punts | Avg | Net | In 20 | In 20 % | TB % | FC % | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Dickson | Seattle Seahawks | 2.8 | 25 | 43.7 | 42.4 | 11 | 44% | 4% | 36% | +14.2 |
| 2 | Logan Cooke | Jacksonville Jaguars | 7.0 | 19 | 47.6 | 42.1 | 7 | 37% | 5% | 11% | +3.0 |
| 3 | Daniel Whelan | Green Bay Packers | 7.0 | 25 | 49.7 | 45.0 | 14 | 56% | 8% | 20% | +2.9 |
| 4 | Ryan Eckley | Baltimore Ravens | 7.5 | 26 | 46.9 | 42.5 | 13 | 50% | 8% | 35% | −0.6 |
| 5 | Corliss Waitman | San Francisco 49ers | 7.6 | 20 | 47.4 | 44.5 | 9 | 45% | 5% | 45% | +5.4 |
| 6 | Cameron Johnston | Pittsburgh Steelers | 8.0 | 26 | 49.5 | 44.2 | 13 | 50% | 8% | 19% | +8.7 |
| 7 | Jack Fox | Detroit Lions | 8.1 | 19 | 47.8 | 43.3 | 8 | 42% | 5% | 32% | +1.2 |
| 8 | J.K. Scott | Los Angeles Chargers | 8.9 | 26 | 47.9 | 40.7 | 7 | 27% | 12% | 40% | −4.6 |
| 9 | Jeremy Crawshaw | Denver Broncos | 8.9 | 32 | 49.0 | 44.7 | 14 | 44% | 6% | 22% | +1.2 |
| 10 | Kai Kroeger | Houston Texans | 9.0 | 23 | 48.1 | 43.4 | 8 | 35% | 0% | 26% | −2.7 |
| 11 | Tory Taylor | Chicago Bears | 9.0 | 19 | 49.7 | 43.4 | 7 | 37% | 11% | 16% | +12.7 |
| 12 | Blake Gillikin | Arizona Cardinals | 9.1 | 28 | 45.2 | 38.2 | 8 | 29% | 11% | 25% | −8.0 |
| 13 | Brett Thorson | Minnesota Vikings | 9.4 | 13 | 45.3 | 40.2 | 6 | 46% | 8% | 46% | −4.1 |
| 14 | Tommy Townsend | Tennessee Titans | 9.4 | 28 | 49.3 | 41.7 | 9 | 32% | 18% | 14% | −1.0 |
| 15 | Braden Mann | Philadelphia Eagles | 9.7 | 33 | 47.7 | 41.8 | 14 | 42% | 3% | 12% | +4.6 |
| 16 | Tress Way | Washington Commanders | 9.9 | 28 | 48.8 | 42.7 | 10 | 36% | 7% | 39% | −0.5 |
| 17 | Johnny Hekker | Minnesota Vikings | 10.0 | 12 | 43.6 | 38.6 | 2 | 17% | 8% | 33% | −1.6 |
| 18 | Jordan Stout | New York Giants | 10.1 | 23 | 52.0 | 44.5 | 11 | 48% | 4% | 17% | +4.2 |
| 19 | Mitch Wishnowsky | New England Patriots | 10.1 | 22 | 47.1 | 41.2 | 10 | 45% | 14% | 36% | +1.3 |
| 20 | Corey Bojorquez | Cleveland Browns | 10.4 | 31 | 50.3 | 44.6 | 10 | 32% | 6% | 16% | +5.0 |
| 21 | Bradley Pinion | Miami Dolphins | 11.1 | 17 | 45.5 | 39.6 | 6 | 35% | 0% | 29% | −2.9 |
| 22 | Ryan Rehkow | Cincinnati Bengals | 11.6 | 16 | 44.9 | 39.8 | 9 | 56% | 0% | 44% | −2.3 |
| 23 | Bryan Anger | Dallas Cowboys | 12.3 | 13 | 48.5 | 42.8 | 9 | 69% | 0% | 46% | +0.1 |
| 24 | Rigoberto Sanchez | Indianapolis Colts | 12.4 | 15 | 52.1 | 40.3 | 6 | 40% | 0% | 29% | −6.1 |
| 25 | AJ Cole | Las Vegas Raiders | 13.4 | 22 | 50.6 | 43.3 | 8 | 36% | 9% | 18% | −3.7 |
| 26 | Ethan Evans | Los Angeles Rams | 13.5 | 19 | 48.3 | 38.1 | 6 | 32% | 16% | 32% | −7.9 |
| 27 | Austin McNamara | New York Jets | 13.7 | 27 | 47.0 | 40.4 | 9 | 33% | 7% | 26% | −5.1 |
| 28 | Jake Bailey | Atlanta Falcons | 14.3 | 21 | 49.3 | 40.3 | 8 | 38% | 14% | 38% | −0.4 |
| 29 | Ryan Wright | New Orleans Saints | 14.8 | 25 | 46.4 | 39.8 | 11 | 44% | 0% | 32% | −4.9 |
| 30 | Riley Dixon | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 15.0 | 27 | 43.7 | 38.0 | 5 | 19% | 4% | 44% | −10.1 |
| 31 | Matt Araiza | Kansas City Chiefs | 15.3 | 14 | 52.4 | 45.1 | 9 | 64% | 14% | 21% | +1.3 |
Average Punt Return Allowed in other seasons: 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016
More 2026 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 2026 NFL rankings
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