2026 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 2026, Michael Dickson (0.4) topped NFL punters in return yards allowed per punt, ahead of Sam Martin (1.7) and Corliss Waitman (1.9). 33 punters qualify (minimum 12 punts). The median qualified punter had 4.4. 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 | Ret yds/punt | Punts | Avg | Net | In 20 | In 20 % | TB % | FC % | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Dickson | Seattle Seahawks | 0.4 | 25 | 43.7 | 42.4 | 11 | 44% | 4% | 36% | +14.2 |
| 2 | Sam Martin | Carolina Panthers | 1.7 | 18 | 46.6 | 42.6 | 11 | 61% | 11% | 50% | +0.4 |
| 3 | Corliss Waitman | San Francisco 49ers | 1.9 | 20 | 47.4 | 44.5 | 9 | 45% | 5% | 45% | +5.4 |
| 4 | Tommy Doman Jr. | Buffalo Bills | 2.7 | 12 | 48.7 | 46.0 | 6 | 50% | 0% | 58% | +0.3 |
| 5 | Ryan Eckley | Baltimore Ravens | 2.9 | 26 | 46.9 | 42.5 | 13 | 50% | 8% | 35% | −0.6 |
| 6 | Jeremy Crawshaw | Denver Broncos | 3.1 | 32 | 49.0 | 44.7 | 14 | 44% | 6% | 22% | +1.2 |
| 7 | Daniel Whelan | Green Bay Packers | 3.1 | 25 | 49.7 | 45.0 | 14 | 56% | 8% | 20% | +2.9 |
| 8 | J.K. Scott | Los Angeles Chargers | 3.2 | 26 | 47.9 | 40.7 | 7 | 27% | 12% | 40% | −4.6 |
| 9 | Mitch Wishnowsky | New England Patriots | 3.2 | 22 | 47.1 | 41.2 | 10 | 45% | 14% | 36% | +1.3 |
| 10 | Johnny Hekker | Minnesota Vikings | 3.3 | 12 | 43.6 | 38.6 | 2 | 17% | 8% | 33% | −1.6 |
| 11 | Jack Fox | Detroit Lions | 3.4 | 19 | 47.8 | 43.3 | 8 | 42% | 5% | 32% | +1.2 |
| 12 | Brett Thorson | Minnesota Vikings | 3.6 | 13 | 45.3 | 40.2 | 6 | 46% | 8% | 46% | −4.1 |
| 13 | Cameron Johnston | Pittsburgh Steelers | 3.7 | 26 | 49.5 | 44.2 | 13 | 50% | 8% | 19% | +8.7 |
| 14 | Tommy Townsend | Tennessee Titans | 4.0 | 28 | 49.3 | 41.7 | 9 | 32% | 18% | 14% | −1.0 |
| 15 | Tory Taylor | Chicago Bears | 4.3 | 19 | 49.7 | 43.4 | 7 | 37% | 11% | 16% | +12.7 |
| 16 | Corey Bojorquez | Cleveland Browns | 4.4 | 31 | 50.3 | 44.6 | 10 | 32% | 6% | 16% | +5.0 |
| 17 | Matt Araiza | Kansas City Chiefs | 4.4 | 14 | 52.4 | 45.1 | 9 | 64% | 14% | 21% | +1.3 |
| 18 | Logan Cooke | Jacksonville Jaguars | 4.4 | 19 | 47.6 | 42.1 | 7 | 37% | 5% | 11% | +3.0 |
| 19 | Tress Way | Washington Commanders | 4.6 | 28 | 48.8 | 42.7 | 10 | 36% | 7% | 39% | −0.5 |
| 20 | Kai Kroeger | Houston Texans | 4.7 | 23 | 48.1 | 43.4 | 8 | 35% | 0% | 26% | −2.7 |
| 21 | Blake Gillikin | Arizona Cardinals | 4.9 | 28 | 45.2 | 38.2 | 8 | 29% | 11% | 25% | −8.0 |
| 22 | Riley Dixon | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5.0 | 27 | 43.7 | 38.0 | 5 | 19% | 4% | 44% | −10.1 |
| 23 | Ryan Rehkow | Cincinnati Bengals | 5.1 | 16 | 44.9 | 39.8 | 9 | 56% | 0% | 44% | −2.3 |
| 24 | Austin McNamara | New York Jets | 5.1 | 27 | 47.0 | 40.4 | 9 | 33% | 7% | 26% | −5.1 |
| 25 | Braden Mann | Philadelphia Eagles | 5.3 | 33 | 47.7 | 41.8 | 14 | 42% | 3% | 12% | +4.6 |
| 26 | AJ Cole | Las Vegas Raiders | 5.5 | 22 | 50.6 | 43.3 | 8 | 36% | 9% | 18% | −3.7 |
| 27 | Bryan Anger | Dallas Cowboys | 5.7 | 13 | 48.5 | 42.8 | 9 | 69% | 0% | 46% | +0.1 |
| 28 | Bradley Pinion | Miami Dolphins | 5.9 | 17 | 45.5 | 39.6 | 6 | 35% | 0% | 29% | −2.9 |
| 29 | Jake Bailey | Atlanta Falcons | 6.1 | 21 | 49.3 | 40.3 | 8 | 38% | 14% | 38% | −0.4 |
| 30 | Ryan Wright | New Orleans Saints | 6.5 | 25 | 46.4 | 39.8 | 11 | 44% | 0% | 32% | −4.9 |
| 31 | Jordan Stout | New York Giants | 6.6 | 23 | 52.0 | 44.5 | 11 | 48% | 4% | 17% | +4.2 |
| 32 | Ethan Evans | Los Angeles Rams | 7.1 | 19 | 48.3 | 38.1 | 6 | 32% | 16% | 32% | −7.9 |
| 33 | Rigoberto Sanchez | Indianapolis Colts | 8.9 | 15 | 52.1 | 40.3 | 6 | 40% | 0% | 29% | −6.1 |
Return Yards Allowed per Punt 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
- 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 2026 NFL rankings
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