NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Titans flipped punters Tuesday, moving from Ryan Stonehouse to Johnny Hekker.
The team declined to offer Stonehouse a minimum free-agent tender of $3.263 million. It’s unclear if they tried to negotiate something cheaper. Adam Schefter reported Hekker got a one-year, fully guaranteed deal but did not immediately have the particulars of the money.
I've learned Hekker will make less than Stonehouse would have.
The strong-legged Stonehouse was 34th in the NFL in net yards per punt (38.3) in 2024, often outkicking his coverage. But the Titans’ inability to cover punts was hardly all on him. They allowed 701 punt return yards, 100 more than anyone else in the league, and an average return of 13.9 yards.
I don't know that he adapted how he was asked, but I'm also far from certain they knew what to do with him. And the special teams roster was horribly thought out, particularly at the start of the season.
Despite constant reassurances from Brian Callahan about first-time special teams coach Colt Anderson, Callahan hired veteran special teams coordinator John Fassel and Anderson was not retained as part of the second-year staff.
Bryan Anger, who has been with Fassel in Dallas for the past four years, was among the potential replacements.
Instead, the Titans went with Hekker, who overlapped with Fassel from 2012-16 with the Rams. He's 35 and has been an All-Pro four times but not since 2017. He's been with Carolina for the last three years.
He had a 41.5 net last season (17th) and his career mark is 42.8.
Undrafted out of Colorado State in 2022, Stonehouse beat out longtime veteran Brett Kern in training camp and earned Second Team All-Pro honors with an excellent rookie season – booming punts an average of 53.1 yards and netting 43.4 while pinning 30 inside the 20.
In his second year, he maintained the distance and upped the net to 44.3 before he suffered a brutal, season-ending leg injury when the Titans failed to block up a free runner against the Colts who crushed him before he even got his foot to the ball.
Under Callahan and Anderson, his average punt sailed 2.5 yards less and netted 5.4 yards less than the average from his first two years.
Stonehouse owns the top two single-season punting averages in NFL history: 53.10 yards in 2022 and 53.06 yards in 2023.
