The Ravens have signed punter Johnny Townsend off the Kansas City Chiefs' practice squad, giving Baltimore insurance in case veteran Sam Koch cannot play in Sunday's regular-season finale in Cincinnati.
Koch was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday after reportedly producing an inconclusive test. The Ravens did not have another punter on the roster, although kicker Justin Tucker did punt throughout his college career at Texas.
The Ravens have familiarity with Townsend after he spent a little more than a week with the team during this year's training camp. He was released on Sept. 5 and signed by the Chiefs in mid-November.
After setting the school record for punting average at Florida, Townsend was a fifth-round pick of the Oakland Raiders in 2018. He punted for them for one season, averaging 43.2 yards per punt and was released the following summer. He spent a week with the New York Giants during training camp in 2019.
If Koch cannot play, it would snap his 15-year streak of 239 straight games played. Special Teams Coordinator Chris Horton did not reveal the team's plan at punter Thursday.
"Justin does a lot of things, he's a man of many different talents," Horton said. "He's out there fooling around every day, giving Sam a hard time. It's a situation that we'll assess over the next couple days. I can guarantee you this. We'll be prepared for whatever situation arises."
