The Houston Texans have had one of the best punting units in football for several years now thanks to dependable veteran Shane Lechler, but they have decided it is time to move on from the 42-year-old.
On Friday, the Texans decided to release Lechler and give their punting job to rookie Trevor Daniel. The move was as shocking of a special teams move as you will see, as Lechler’s 47.6 yards per punt is the highest mark in NFL history. He averaged 49.0 yards per punt last season, which was the third-highest number of his career and best since he was with the Oakland Raiders in 2011. Lechler’s five touchbacks were also the third-fewest of his career.
Lechler was set to count $2 million against Houston’s cap in 2018, which does not sound like much but is a high number for a punter. They obviously feel they can get good enough production from Daniel, who was one of the best punters in college football last season and averaged 47.5 yards per kick at Tennessee. Many wondered why Daniel chose to sign with a team that had such a stable punting situation, but his decision obviously paid off.
Though he is 42, Lechler proved last year that there is still plenty of juice left in his leg. The old man should be able to find a new team to heckle him with gag gifts now that he is a free agent.
