Raiders' AJ Cole Continues to Rank Among the Best

Las Vegas Raiders punter AJ Cole continues to find his name at the top of the list. Not only NFL punters but all-time Raiders punters.

Sep 15, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Las Vegas Raiders punter AJ Cole (6) looks on before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders have been a flip of the coin regarding what result and team Raider Nation will see on game days.

With lots of concerning questions and uncertainty regarding what the team will do and what key players will still be playing they do have one concrete answer. When the offense struggles and faces a fourth down outside of field goal range, they have one of the best players in the world jogging onto the field in AJ Cole.

Cole has been extremely consistent this year and continues to put his name at the top of many punting stats in comparison to the rest of the National Football League. Heading into Week 6, Cole is currently the second-best punter regarding average booming over 52 yards. He trails presently Cincinnati Bengals punter Ryan Rehkow by three yards. 

When it comes down to punting, it is not always who can kick the ball the farthest or the highest. For certain situations, that is crucial, like when the Raiders' offense fails to pick up a first down after a kickoff or when they are backed up deep on their side of the field. When punting, sometimes the finesse of a certain bounce or angle is more beneficial for the team as opposed to the punt distance. 

Cole is one of the best at those types of punts as well. So far this season, he has 10 inside the 20-yard line that have helped set up the Raiders' defense for success.

A few of his punts have been huge in deciding the outcome of the game. Against the Cleveland Browns, Cole had a season-high 58-yard average, including two pinned inside the 20 punts to force the Browns offense to go a majority of the field. Those long drives presented for the opponent are the advantage this team and defense need to go out there and succeed. 

In 2023, Cole had a career year averaging 50 yards per punt. So far in 2024, he is on pace to beat the record.

Although his career is still bright for the Las Vegas Raiders, Raider Nation needs to know how special Cole is. With a long list of great punters to wear the Silver and Black, Cole’s career average of 48.5 reigns top of the list, prevailing over legends Shane Lechler (47.5), Marquette King (46.8), Leo Araguz (42.9), Ray Guy (42.4), Mike Eischeid (42.3) and Jeff Gossett (41.7).

With elite company, Cole looks to continue making an impact on the team and the punting history within the Raiders organization.  

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