Winning the punting battle starts with a blocker’s hands driving into a gunner’s chest. The football has barely left the snapper when the fight begins. A gunner swats at a wrist, turns his shoulder, and tries to squeeze past before a second blocker closes the exit. Downfield, the returner waits with his eyes up.
Breaking free solves only the first problem. Now the gunner has to cover the distance, find the ball, and arrive with enough control to finish. Too late, and the returner gets a runway. Arrive too fast, and one sidestep sends the gunner skidding past the play.
That tension gives punt coverage its bite. The same player who needs to sprint past two blockers may have to chop his feet moments later. His fastest steps create the opportunity. Those final, shorter steps determine what he does with it. Fans follow the soaring kick. Coaches have to follow the chase beneath it. A punter’s hang time and a gunner’s speed must meet at the catch point, before the returner can turn open grass into stolen yards.
A long punt can still lose ground
Start with a simple comparison. A hypothetical 55-yard punt followed by a 20-yard return produces 35 net yards before any penalty adjustment. Give the coverage unit a 45-yard punt and a fair catch instead, and it preserves ten more yards. The shorter kick wins that exchange.
Distance matters, especially when an offense punts from deep in its own territory. But a ball that outruns the coverage gives the returner time to catch, square his shoulders, and choose a lane. By the time the first tackler arrives, the return has already begun.
A gunner tries to deny those first comfortable steps. His approach can force a fair catch or make the returner move sideways while teammates close from inside. Either outcome protects the ground the punter gained. Net average captures the result, not the whole explanation. A high kick can rescue a slow release. An exceptional gunner can help contain an awkward punt. To understand the unit, watch both ends of the flight.
Brenden Schooler needs an escape route
During New England’s 2024 opener against Cincinnati, Brenden Schooler reached 22.42 mph covering a punt. Patriots writer Evan Lazar reported the Next Gen Stats measurement while detailing Schooler’s first-team Associated Press All-Pro season. Schooler also forced fair catches throughout that campaign. His speed gave returners a reason to wave their arms before testing him.
That speed becomes useful only after he clears the hands in his way. Two blockers can crowd his release, one taking away the inside while the other steers him toward the boundary. Standing upright and wrestling with them burns the time his punter needs him to use downfield.
Hands first, then open grass
The release needs a plan. Gunners borrow from the receiver’s toolkit, using their hands and shoulders to escape the jam. A rip brings the arm underneath the blocker’s arm. With a swim move, the player brings his arm over the top as he turns past the contact. A Glazier Clinics lesson covers both techniques for beating press coverage.
Repeating the same release lets the blocker anticipate the opening step. The goal demands more than getting loose. A wide detour might win the personal battle while losing the race to the returner. Every extra step adds distance to a route the gunner must finish before the kick comes down. Schooler has faced even heavier attention. In a December 2024 interview with Lazar, he described Seattle sending three players to block him earlier that season. Matthew Slater recognized the unusual look and helped him adjust before the next encounter.
Three blockers changed the problem. Slater gave Schooler a way to attack it. The younger player still had to execute, still had to get his shoulder through the contact and accelerate. But he no longer had to invent an answer while the next punt hung overhead.
Dareke Young discovers the value of patience
Once the gunner escapes, the job changes. Long strides eat up the field. Near the returner, he needs shorter steps, balanced hips, and a clear view of what the ball does next. Seattle’s January 25, 2026 NFC Championship against the Rams showed how much that adjustment can matter.
On Xavier Smith’s first muffed punt, Dareke Young ran past the returner and missed a chance to recover the loose ball. In his postgame account to Seahawks reporter Ari Horton, Young explained that he had come downfield too fast. Rather than stay in front of Smith, he had peeled away as the returner moved toward him. Michael Dickson told Young another opportunity would come. Young resolved to stay patient.
When Smith muffed another punt, Young recovered it. Seattle scored on the very next snap, a 17-yard touchdown pass to Jake Bobo. A failed offensive possession had become a fresh chance to score.
Young did not need more speed on the second opportunity. He needed to keep himself where speed had taken him. The ball came loose, and this time he was there to claim it.
Hang time gives the gunner something to work with
Young’s adjustment mattered because Dickson gave him a playable kick. Their partnership exposes the flaw in treating punting as an isolated performance. A gunner cannot chase down time the punter never supplied. Hit a low ball into open space, and the returner may catch it before coverage reaches him. Lift the kick and place it toward a sideline, and the gunner has a chance to close while the boundary limits the escape.
Seattle carried that coordination into Super Bowl LX on February 8, 2026. In his postgame report for the Seahawks, Scott Engel documented seven Dickson punts and just four New England return yards. Three of those punts finished inside the Patriots’ ten-yard line.
That total belongs to the kicking and coverage operation together. It cannot establish how much any one gunner contributed. But it shows what the unit preserved: almost everything Dickson sent downfield. For the returner, the difference feels immediate. Catch a low punt with space and the field invites acceleration. Track a high kick with coverage closing and the priority becomes securing the football. The punter shapes that decision from one end. His gunners press it from the other.
The hardest finish can mean stopping
A returner raises his arm, and the gunner has to brake. The work that demanded aggression at the line now demands restraint near the ball. He cannot let the rush of beating a double team carry him through the catch point. Contact that draws a flag gives away ground his teammates just fought to protect. An untouched fair catch can finish the assignment perfectly.
When the returner keeps his arm down, the gunner needs a controlled tackle. Charging at full stride leaves little room to react to a cutback. Shortening the approach lets him stay square and make the runner commit. The coverage inside needs him to hold up his end. Miss outside, and the returner can reach the boundary. Overrun inside, and he can reverse into the space behind the pursuit.
Punt coverage asks the gunner to arrive urgently without finishing recklessly. Young learned that distinction with a loose football at his feet. Every clean fair catch makes the same point more quietly.
The next punt deserves a closer look
The Patriots’ retirement tribute to Slater celebrated 16 seasons, ten Pro Bowl selections, and three championship rings. His influence also traveled through meetings and practice. Schooler told Lazar that watching Slater taught him how a professional prepares, from studying film to approaching game day. That leadership had a practical payoff beside the sideline when Seattle brought three blockers and Slater had an answer ready. Experience helped the next gunner handle a problem he had never seen.
Coaches building a 53-man roster should remember that exchange. A player who can defeat a double team and force a fair catch has supplied something valuable, even when the tackle column stays empty. Winning the punting battle requires recognizing those quiet finishes. On the next fourth down, watch the player stationed near the boundary before following the ball. See whether he clears the first pair of hands, then track the angle he takes once he breaks free.
Near the returner, watch his feet: does he keep charging, or gather himself for the finish? Can he stay close enough to threaten a return without interfering with the catch?
The gunner jogs back toward his sideline while the opposing quarterback breaks the huddle and surveys the distance ahead. How much harder did those final few steps make his next possession?
READ MORE: Early-Down Play Action: Unlocking the Biggest Passing Gains on First-and-10
FAQs
What does a gunner do on an NFL punt?
A gunner beats blockers and races toward the returner. He helps force fair catches, contain returns, make tackles, or recover loose footballs.
Why can a shorter punt produce better field position?
A 45-yard punt with a fair catch preserves 45 yards. A 55-yard punt followed by a 20-yard return preserves only 35, before penalty adjustments.
Why does hang time matter on a punt?
Hang time gives coverage players more time to reach the returner. A kick that outruns them can leave room for a return.
Why do gunners slow down near the returner?
Shorter steps help gunners stay balanced and react to the play. They need control to tackle, recover a loose ball, or stop for a fair catch.
How fast did Brenden Schooler run against Cincinnati?
Schooler reached 22.42 mph while covering a punt during New England’s 2024 opener against Cincinnati, according to the Next Gen Stats measurement reported by Evan Lazar.
