Titans Release One of Their Two Punters

Ryan Allen and Trevor Daniel did the job for one game each. One is now looking for work.

NASHVILLE – As of now, there is no question who will be the Tennessee Titans punter on Sunday at Baltimore.

Some, though, might want to know why.

The Titans waived Ryan Allen on Tuesday, which leaves Trevor Daniel as the only punter on the active roster. Statistically speaking, there is a vast difference between the two based on their respective performances this season.

Daniel had an inauspicious debut with Tennessee in Thursday’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts, a game in which he had one punt blocked and had another go just 27 yards. He averaged 32.0 yards on two punts.

“We didn't punt it well enough the one time and then didn't block well enough on the other,” coach Mike Vrabel said following that contest.

Allen (pictured) also punted for the Titans in one game. He averaged 50.5 yards on eight punts with one touchback in the Week 9 victory over the Chicago Bears.

Both were signed, Nov. 7 – Allen to the active roster, Daniel to the practice squad – the same Brett Kern was placed on injured. Kern must remain on IR for a minimum of three weeks before he can be returned to the active roster. So, he is not presently an option.

“We're going to have to keep working and be confident in the decisions that we make based on the evaluations in practice and try to get that that area shored up, whether that be with the guys that are protecting, the guys that are covering, the guys that are snapping, or the guys that are kicking,” coach Mike Vrabel said Friday.

Vrabel said that the decision to switch punters for the Indianapolis game was based on performance in practice leading up to that contest. He also pointed to Daniel’s hang time as consistently superior to Allen’s.

The Titans (6-3) are 26th in the NFL with an average of 11.6 yards allowed per punt return. Baltimore’s James Proche has returned more punts (18) than all but one NFL player this season. So, the ability for Tennessee to cover kicks effectively will be essential.

“We're all professionals. We all have a job to do,” Vrabel said. “We're all expected to do the job and sometimes there's moving parts for a lot of different reasons. I'm hopeful that's why we practice, and we can continue to all work together and everybody can do our job and they can protect those guys when they have to kick. They’ve got to cover them, tackle, and then give us a chance in the return game.”