Titans Elevate Punter, Long Snapper From Practice Squad
Update, 5:50 p.m. (CST): Punter Ryan Allen and long snapper Matt Orzech are among the Titans' inactives for Thursday's game against the Colts. Trevor Daniel will be the punter/holder and -- for the second consecutive game -- Matt Overton will be the long snapper.
Original story
NASHVILLE – For the third consecutive game, the Tennessee Titans will have a different punter. Or so it seems.
Franchise officials added Trevor Daniel to the active roster Thursday, hours before the Titans (6-2) face the Indianapolis Colts (5-3) in a critical AFC South matchup. Also added was long snapper Matt Overton, who handled those duties Sunday against the Chicago Bears.
Under NFL rules in place this season to help teams deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, both players will automatically revert to the practice squad on Friday.
The Titans signed Daniel to their practice squad last Saturday, the same day they signed Ryan Allen to the active roster and placed long-time punter Brett Kern on injured reserve.
Allen was the punter and holder for placekicks during Sunday’s 24-17 victory over the Chicago Bears in place of Kern, who sustained a wrist injury during the Nov. 1 loss at Cincinnati. Allen averaged 50.5 yards on eight punts, which topped Kern’s season average by 2.2 yards per kick, but the net average was 40.0, a 1.4 yard-per-punt decrease from Kern’s number through the first seven games.
“To have (Allen) come in there on one day notice, work out, and go and kick and be able to hold for [kicker] Stephen [Gostkowski], I thought that was pretty good,” coach Mike Vrabel said this week. “We got to protect him better. So, we'll see by putting some work in this week if that can improve.”
Ultimately, they decided they needed another option.
Daniel (pictured), 25, is a native of Dickson, Tenn. 42 miles of Nashville, and played college football at the University of Tennessee. He is a third-year NFL veteran who played all 16 games for Houston in 2018 and two more in 2019 before he was release. He spent time during the offseason with Denver but was released months before training camp opened.
He has averaged 43.7 yards per punt on 85 attempts. His career net average is 40.1 yards.
Allen remains on the active roster, which means coaches will make a choice prior to kickoff which one is active.
Overton’s addition also gives the Titans options at that spot. Matt Orzech, signed off Miami’s practice squad last week, cleared COVID protocols and was added to the active roster on Monday.
