The Best Punt Returners in NFL History

by Chase Stuart on March 17, 2014

Six years ago, I wrote a series of posts looking at the best returners in NFL history. Today, I want to update that list by examining the best punt returners in NFL history. As with most statistics, yards per punt return has fluctuated throughout most of NFL history. The graph below shows the average in this metric from 1941 through 2013:

I’m not quite sure why the average was so high in the ’40s, but I believe the dropoff in 1952 came when the NFL started recording fair catches in the denominator (I’m not sure when that stopped, either). Regardless of the reason, it’s clear that we need to adjust punt return averages for era. So here’s what I did:

1) Assign 15 yards for every punt return touchdown. ^[1]Why 15 yards? That’s a good question. Generally, we credit a player with 20 yards for every touchdown, but special teams touchdowns are less valuable than offensive touchdowns. That’s … Continue reading

2) Calculate each player’s Adjusted Yards per Punt Return for each season, defined as simply (Punt Return Yards + 15*PRTDs) / Punt Returns.

3) Subtract the league average AY/PR rate from each player’s AY/PR average.

4) Multiply that result by the player’s number of punt returns, to produce a value-over-average statistic.

There are lots of drawbacks to this method — and I mention some of them at the end of this post — but I think it’s an improvement over the current ways in which we measure punt returners.

Let’s apply this formula to the 2013 season. The top punt returner by this metric was Dexter McCluster, who returned 58 punts for 686 yards and 2 touchdowns, numbers which led the league on all counts. That means McCluster averaged 12.3 Adjusted Yards per Punt Return; since the league average in 2013 was 9.6 AY/PR, that means McCluster produced 161 extra yards of value (had the AP selected an All-Pro punt returner, McCluster would have been the likely pick). The table below shows the amount of value added by every punt return in 2013; by default, the table displays the top 10, but you can change that number in the dropdown box on the left. As always, the table is fully sortable and searchable, too.

Rk	Player	Age	Tm	PR	Yards	TDs	AY/PR	VALUE
1	Dexter McCluster	24	KAN	58	686	2	12.3	161
2	Tandon Doss	24	BAL	23	359	1	16.3	154
3	Marcus Sherels	26	MIN	22	335	1	15.9	139
4	Antonio Brown	25	PIT	32	409	1	13.3	118
5	Jeremy Ross	25	2TM	17	263	1	16.4	115
6	Devin Hester	31	CHI	18	256	1	15.1	99
7	Golden Tate	25	SEA	51	585	0	11.5	97
8	Micah Hyde	23	GNB	24	296	1	13	81
9	Dwayne Harris	26	DAL	20	256	1	13.6	80
10	Ted Ginn Jr.	28	CAR	26	316	0	12.2	67
11	Travis Benjamin	24	CLE	22	257	1	12.4	61
12	Jacoby Jones	29	BAL	19	237	0	12.5	55
13	Julian Edelman	27	NWE	35	374	0	10.7	39
14	Jordan Poyer	22	2TM	8	114	0	14.3	37
15	LaMichael James	24	SFO	23	251	0	10.9	31
16	Eric Page	22	TAM	23	251	0	10.9	31
17	Griff Whalen	23	IND	8	104	0	13	27
18	Leon Washington	31	2TM	6	78	0	13	21
19	Josh Cribbs	30	NYJ	8	96	0	12	19
20	Austin Pettis	25	STL	2	37	0	18.5	18
21	Robert McClain	25	ATL	19	193	0	10.2	11
22	Skye Dawson	23	TAM	1	17	0	17	7
23	Danny Amendola	28	NWE	1	13	0	13	3
24	Lardarius Webb	28	BAL	1	13	0	13	3
25	Alterraun Verner	25	TEN	1	11	0	11	1
26	Darius Butler	27	IND	1	9	0	9	-1
27	Chad Hall	27	KAN	1	9	0	9	-1
28	LaVon Brazill	24	IND	3	25	0	8.3	-4
29	T.Y. Hilton	24	IND	17	159	0	9.4	-4
30	Jim Leonhard	31	BUF	7	63	0	9	-4
31	Ryan Broyles	25	DET	1	4	0	4	-6
32	Randall Cobb	23	GNB	3	23	0	7.7	-6
33	Justin Veltung	22	STL	7	61	0	8.7	-6
34	Eric Decker	26	DEN	1	2	0	2	-8
35	Greg Jenkins	24	OAK	6	49	0	8.2	-8
36	Brandon Tate	26	CIN	36	336	0	9.3	-9
37	Jacoby Ford	26	OAK	9	77	0	8.6	-9
38	Chris Rainey	25	IND	4	29	0	7.3	-9
39	Jeremy Kerley	25	NYJ	13	115	0	8.8	-9
40	Robert Alford	25	ATL	1	0	0	0	-10
41	Javier Arenas	26	ARI	1	0	0	0	-10
42	Richie Brockel	27	CAR	1	0	0	0	-10
43	Travaris Cadet	24	NOR	1	0	0	0	-10
44	Tony Carter	27	DEN	1	0	0	0	-10
45	Drayton Florence	33	CAR	1	0	0	0	-10
46	Charles James	23	NYG	1	0	0	0	-10
47	John Kuhn	31	GNB	1	0	0	0	-10
48	Brandon LaFell	27	CAR	1	0	0	0	-10
49	Trumaine McBride	28	NYG	1	0	0	0	-10
50	Jerome Murphy	26	WAS	1	0	0	0	-10
51	Chase Reynolds	26	STL	1	0	0	0	-10
52	Josh Thomas	24	CAR	1	0	0	0	-10
53	Nick Williams	23	WAS	1	0	0	0	-10
54	Usama Young	28	OAK	1	0	0	0	-10
55	Armanti Edwards	25	2TM	4	28	0	7	-10
56	Jack Crawford	25	OAK	1	-1	0	-1	-11
57	Micheal Spurlock	30	2TM	23	207	0	9	-13
58	Keshawn Martin	23	HOU	39	345	1	9.2	-13
59	Shiloh Keo	26	HOU	3	15	0	5	-14
60	Damaris Johnson	24	PHI	12	100	0	8.3	-15
61	Devon Wylie	25	5TM	2	4	0	2	-15
62	Richard Sherman	25	SEA	1	-6	0	-6	-16
63	Pacman Jones	30	CIN	11	88	0	8	-17
64	Phillip Adams	25	OAK	8	59	0	7.4	-18
65	Josh Morgan	28	WAS	8	59	0	7.4	-18
66	Keenan Allen	21	SDG	15	125	0	8.3	-19
67	Lance Moore	30	NOR	2	0	0	0	-19
68	Davone Bess	28	CLE	4	19	0	4.8	-19
69	Jayron Hosley	23	NYG	3	9	0	3	-20
70	Trindon Holliday	27	DEN	32	271	1	8.9	-20
71	Tavon Austin	22	STL	33	280	1	8.9	-21
72	Kyle Wilson	26	NYJ	4	13	0	3.3	-25
73	Wes Welker	32	DEN	10	70	0	7	-26
74	Eddie Royal	27	SDG	7	41	0	5.9	-26
75	Damian Williams	25	TEN	4	12	0	3	-26
76	Cole Beasley	24	DAL	10	68	0	6.8	-28
77	Chris Thompson	23	WAS	7	36	0	5.1	-31
78	Darius Reynaud	29	2TM	18	135	0	7.5	-37
79	Harry Douglas	29	ATL	10	57	0	5.7	-39
80	Rueben Randle	22	NYG	29	237	0	8.2	-41
81	Santana Moss	34	WAS	18	130	0	7.2	-42
82	Will Blackmon	29	JAX	5	2	0	0.4	-46
83	Kyle Williams	25	2TM	12	61	0	5.1	-54
84	Marcus Thigpen	27	MIA	34	264	0	7.8	-62
85	DeSean Jackson	27	PHI	14	71	0	5.1	-63
86	Darren Sproles	30	NOR	29	194	0	6.7	-84
87	Ace Sanders	22	JAX	25	140	0	5.6	-99
88	Patrick Peterson	23	ARI	33	198	0	6	-118
89	Leodis McKelvin	28	BUF	32	180	0	5.6	-126

For McCluster, much of his value was the result of high volume, although maintaining above-average play over 58 punt returns is very impressive. Jeremy Ross, Tandon Doss, Marcus Sherels, and Devin Hester all averaged at least 15 AY/PR over 15+ carries, which puts them in the discussion for best punt returners of the year. And Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown, in addition to being the number one receiver, was also the fourth-best punt returner. That’s a pretty good year.

The two names at the bottom of the list are interesting ones. The punt returner who added the least value in 2013 was Leodis McKelvin, who gained just 180 yards on 32 punt returns, providing -126 yards of value. That’s pretty incredible, because McKelvin ranked as the number one punt returner in the NFL in 2012 according to this metric. The number one punt returner in 2011 was Patrick Peterson, and that was a season for the ages. But in 2013, Peterson graded as the second worst punt returner, picking up only 198 yards on 33 returns.

Let’s take a look at the 200 best punt return seasons in football history using this metric. As you can see, Peterson’s 2011 season ranks as the third best ever:

Rk	Player	Year	Age	Tm	PR	Yards	TDs	AY/PR	VALUE
1	Desmond Howard	1996	26	GNB	58	875	3	15.9	330
2	Devin Hester	2007	25	CHI	42	651	4	16.9	321
3	Patrick Peterson	2011	21	ARI	44	699	4	17.3	312
4	Devin Hester	2010	28	CHI	33	564	3	18.5	288
5	Billy Johnson	1975	23	HOU	40	612	3	16.4	287
6	J.T. Smith	1980	25	KAN	40	581	2	15.3	276
7	Rodger Bird	1967	24	OAK	46	612	0	13.3	273
8	LeRoy Irvin	1981	24	RAM	46	615	3	14.3	260
9	Billy Grimes	1950	23	GNB	29	555	2	20.2	258
10	Billy Johnson	1977	25	HOU	35	539	2	16.3	256
11	Jermaine Lewis	2000	26	BAL	36	578	2	16.9	244
12	Rick Upchurch	1976	24	DEN	39	536	4	15.3	238
13	Leodis McKelvin	2012	27	BUF	23	431	2	20	233
14	Speedy Duncan	1965	23	SDG	30	464	2	16.5	233
15	Brian Mitchell	1991	23	WAS	45	600	2	14	232
16	George Atkinson	1968	21	OAK	36	490	2	14.4	231
17	Dick Christy	1961	26	NYT	18	383	2	22.9	230
18	Devin Hester	2006	24	CHI	47	600	3	13.7	227
19	Mike Haynes	1976	23	NWE	45	608	2	14.2	225
20	DeSean Jackson	2009	23	PHI	29	441	2	16.2	222
21	Bob Hayes	1968	26	DAL	15	312	2	22.8	222
22	Eddie Brown	1976	24	WAS	48	646	1	13.8	220
23	Dante Hall	2003	25	KAN	29	472	2	17.3	219
24	Pat Studstill	1962	24	DET	29	457	0	15.8	218
25	Michael Lewis	2002	31	NOR	44	625	1	14.5	216
26	Jack Christiansen	1951	23	DET	18	343	4	22.4	214
27	Rick Upchurch	1977	25	DEN	51	653	1	13.1	212
28	Neal Colzie	1975	21	OAK	48	655	0	13.6	211
29	Louis Lipps	1984	22	PIT	53	656	1	12.7	210
30	John Taylor	1988	26	SFO	44	556	2	13.3	209
31	Alvin Haymond	1969	27	RAM	33	435	0	13.2	206
32	Roscoe Parrish	2007	25	BUF	27	440	1	16.9	205
33	Irving Fryar	1985	23	NWE	37	520	2	14.9	204
34	Rick Upchurch	1978	26	DEN	36	493	1	14.1	203
35	Santana Moss	2002	23	NYJ	25	413	2	17.7	202
36	Devin Hester	2011	29	CHI	28	454	2	17.3	199
37	Ollie Matson	1955	25	CRD	13	245	2	21.2	198
38	Johnnie Lee Higgins	2008	25	OAK	44	570	3	14	198
39	J.T. Smith	1979	24	KAN	58	612	2	11.1	194
40	Bruce Taylor	1970	22	SFO	43	516	0	12	194
41	Jack Christiansen	1952	24	DET	15	322	2	23.5	193
42	Lemar Parrish	1974	27	CIN	18	338	2	20.4	190
43	Tyrone Hughes	1993	23	NOR	37	503	2	14.4	190
44	Brian Mitchell	1994	26	WAS	32	452	2	15.1	189
45	Lynn Swann	1974	22	PIT	41	577	1	14.4	186
46	Darrien Gordon	1996	26	SDG	36	537	1	15.3	186
47	Darrien Gordon	1997	27	DEN	40	543	3	14.7	186
48	Jermaine Lewis	1997	23	BAL	28	437	2	16.7	185
49	Pacman Jones	2006	23	TEN	34	440	3	14.3	182
50	Az-Zahir Hakim	2000	23	STL	32	489	1	15.8	181
51	Woodley Lewis	1952	27	RAM	19	351	2	20.1	180
52	Allen Rossum	2003	28	ATL	39	545	1	14.4	179
53	Mel Gray	1991	30	DET	25	385	1	16	179
54	Jackie Wallace	1978	27	RAM	52	618	0	11.9	178
55	Veryl Switzer	1954	22	GNB	24	306	1	13.4	178
56	Dave Meggett	1989	23	NYG	46	582	1	13	177
57	Emlen Tunnell	1951	27	NYG	34	489	3	15.7	176
58	Vai Sikahema	1986	24	STL	43	522	2	12.8	175
59	Darrien Gordon	1994	24	SDG	36	475	2	14	175
60	Greg Pruitt	1983	32	RAI	58	666	1	11.7	173
61	Henry Ellard	1984	23	RAM	30	403	2	14.4	172
62	Mack Herron	1974	26	NWE	35	517	0	14.8	171
63	Henry Ellard	1985	24	RAM	37	501	1	13.9	170
64	Bert Zagers	1957	24	WAS	14	217	2	17.6	170
65	Tamarick Vanover	1999	25	KAN	51	627	2	12.9	170
66	Phillip Buchanon	2003	23	OAK	36	491	2	14.5	170
67	Speedy Duncan	1967	25	SDG	36	434	0	12.1	169
68	Walter Stanley	1989	27	DET	36	496	0	13.8	167
69	Floyd Little	1967	25	DEN	16	270	1	17.8	167
70	Mike Martin	1984	24	CIN	24	376	0	15.7	167
71	Kelvin Martin	1992	27	DAL	42	532	2	13.4	167
72	Jacquez Green	1998	22	TAM	30	453	1	15.6	162
73	Derrick Mason	2000	26	TEN	51	662	1	13.3	162
74	Ron Smith	1973	30	SDG	27	352	2	14.1	161
75	Dexter McCluster	2013	24	KAN	58	686	2	12.3	161
76	Deion Sanders	1998	31	DAL	24	375	2	16.9	160
77	Eric Metcalf	1993	25	CLE	36	464	2	13.7	160
78	Desmond Howard	2000	30	DET	31	457	1	15.2	159
79	Jimmy Williams	2002	23	SFO	20	336	1	17.6	158
80	Eddie Kennison	1996	23	STL	29	423	2	15.6	158
81	Patrick Crayton	2009	30	DAL	36	437	2	13	158
82	Vai Sikahema	1987	25	STL	44	550	1	12.8	158
83	Rex Bumgardner	1948	25	BUF	16	336	2	22.9	157
84	Red Cochran	1949	27	CRD	15	314	2	22.9	157
85	Karl Williams	1996	25	TAM	13	274	1	22.2	157
86	Dick Christy	1962	27	NYT	15	250	2	18.7	157
87	Troy Brown	2001	30	NWE	29	413	2	15.3	156
88	Dennis Northcutt	2002	25	CLE	25	367	2	15.9	156
89	Herb Rich	1950	22	BAL	12	276	1	24.3	156
90	Jerry Davis	1948	24	CRD	16	334	2	22.8	155
91	Tandon Doss	2013	24	BAL	23	359	1	16.3	154
92	Ray Mathews	1952	23	PIT	26	397	2	16.4	152
93	Allen Rossum	2004	29	ATL	37	457	1	12.8	152
94	Dwayne Harris	2012	25	DAL	22	354	1	16.8	151
95	Jeff Fisher	1981	23	CHI	43	509	1	12.2	150
96	Karl Williams	1997	26	TAM	46	597	1	13.3	149
97	Rick Upchurch	1982	30	DEN	15	242	2	18.1	148
98	Travis Williams	1969	23	GNB	8	189	1	25.5	148
99	Leroy Kelly	1965	23	CLE	17	265	2	17.4	147
100	Jeff Ogden	2000	25	MIA	19	323	1	17.8	146
101	Amani Toomer	1996	22	NYG	18	298	2	18.2	145
102	Dana McLemore	1984	24	SFO	45	521	1	11.9	144
103	Claude Gibson	1964	25	OAK	29	419	0	14.4	144
104	Craig Yeast	1999	23	CIN	10	209	2	23.9	143
105	Lem Barney	1969	24	DET	9	191	1	22.9	143
106	Johnny Williams	1952	25	WAS	24	366	2	16.5	142
107	Josh Cribbs	2007	24	CLE	30	405	1	14	142
108	Vai Sikahema	1992	30	PHI	40	503	1	13	142
109	Brian Westbrook	2003	24	PHI	20	306	2	16.8	141
110	Josh Cribbs	2009	26	CLE	38	452	1	12.3	141
111	Noland Smith	1968	25	KAN	18	270	1	15.8	141
112	Dante Hall	2002	24	KAN	29	390	2	14.5	140
113	Marcus Sherels	2013	26	MIN	22	335	1	15.9	139
114	Bruce Harper	1978	23	NYJ	30	378	1	13.1	139
115	Ed Podolak	1970	23	KAN	23	311	0	13.5	139
116	Brian Mitchell	2002	34	PHI	46	567	1	12.7	138
117	Eddie Drummond	2004	24	DET	24	316	2	14.4	138
118	Roscoe Parrish	2008	26	BUF	21	322	1	16	138
119	Bobby Joe Edmonds	1986	22	SEA	34	419	1	12.8	136
120	Chuck Latourette	1968	23	STL	28	345	1	12.9	135
121	Ron Gardin	1970	26	BAL	28	330	1	12.3	135
122	Nate Burleson	2007	26	SEA	58	658	1	11.6	135
123	Travis Benjamin	2012	23	CLE	3	149	1	54.7	134
124	Darius Reynaud	2012	28	TEN	31	410	2	14.2	133
125	Mike Fuller	1976	23	SDG	33	436	0	13.2	133
126	Antwaan Randle El	2003	24	PIT	45	542	2	12.7	133
127	Julian Edelman	2010	24	NWE	21	321	1	16	132
128	Reggie Barlow	1998	25	JAX	43	555	1	13.3	131
129	Clarence Verdin	1990	27	IND	31	396	0	12.8	131
130	Mike Nelms	1981	26	WAS	45	492	2	11.6	131
131	Darrien Gordon	2001	31	ATL	31	437	0	14.1	131
132	Louis Lipps	1985	23	PIT	36	437	2	13	130
133	Quan Cosby	2009	27	CIN	40	474	0	11.9	130
134	B.J. Sams	2005	25	BAL	33	401	0	12.2	130
135	Mel Gray	1987	26	NOR	24	352	0	14.7	130
136	Mel Renfro	1964	23	DAL	32	418	1	13.5	129
137	B.J. Sams	2004	24	BAL	55	575	2	11	129
138	Ken Ellis	1972	25	GNB	14	215	1	16.4	128
139	Tom Casey	1948	24	NYY	9	229	1	27.1	127
140	Reggie Bush	2008	23	NOR	20	270	3	15.8	126
141	Domenik Hixon	2009	25	NYG	17	256	1	15.9	125
142	Troy Brown	2000	29	NWE	39	504	1	13.3	125
143	Dante Hall	2007	29	STL	19	286	1	15.8	125
144	Mike Fuller	1977	24	SDG	28	360	1	13.4	125
145	Jo-Jo Townsell	1988	28	NYJ	35	409	1	12.1	124
146	Charlie Rogers	1999	23	SEA	22	318	1	15.1	123
147	Reggie Swinton	2001	26	DAL	31	414	1	13.8	123
148	Rickie Harris	1965	22	WAS	31	377	1	12.6	122
149	Clifton Smith	2008	23	TAM	23	324	1	14.7	121
150	Bobby Jancik	1964	24	HOU	12	220	1	19.6	121
151	Leon Johnson	1997	23	NYJ	51	619	1	12.4	121
152	Bruce Harper	1977	22	NYJ	34	425	0	12.5	121
153	Speedy Duncan	1966	24	SDG	18	238	1	14.1	121
154	Bill Thompson	1973	27	DEN	30	366	0	12.2	120
155	Dennis Northcutt	2004	27	CLE	36	432	0	12	120
156	Tim Brown	1994	28	RAI	40	487	0	12.2	120
157	Buddy Young	1951	25	NYY	12	231	1	20.5	120
158	Bill Baird	1963	24	NYJ	4	143	1	39.5	119
159	Lionel James	1987	25	SDG	32	400	1	13	119
160	Jon Arnett	1958	23	RAM	18	223	0	12.4	119
161	Hank Poteat	2000	23	PIT	36	467	1	13.4	118
162	Dick Jauron	1974	24	DET	17	286	0	16.8	118
163	Antonio Brown	2013	25	PIT	32	409	1	13.3	118
164	Antwaan Randle El	2005	26	PIT	44	448	2	10.9	117
165	Tom Watkins	1964	27	DET	16	238	2	16.8	116
166	Jim Bertelsen	1972	22	RAM	16	232	0	14.5	116
167	Billy Stacy	1959	23	CRD	29	281	2	10.7	115
168	Jeremy Ross	2013	25	2TM	17	263	1	16.4	115
169	Gerald Willhite	1986	27	DEN	42	468	1	11.5	115
170	Dave Meggett	1994	28	NYG	26	323	2	13.6	115
171	Manfred Moore	1974	24	SFO	5	149	1	32.8	115
172	Bob Hayes	1967	25	DAL	24	276	1	12.1	114
173	Jeff Groth	1981	24	NOR	37	436	0	11.8	114
174	Dave Meggett	1990	24	NYG	43	467	1	11.2	114
175	Bill Thompson	1969	23	DEN	25	288	0	11.5	114
176	Dennis Morgan	1974	22	DAL	19	287	1	15.9	114
177	Gale Sayers	1965	22	CHI	16	238	1	15.8	114
178	Deltha O'Neal	2001	24	DEN	31	405	1	13.5	114
179	Dana McLemore	1982	22	SFO	7	156	1	24.4	113
180	Johnny Robinson	1960	22	DTX	14	207	1	15.9	113
181	Jacoby Jones	2008	24	HOU	32	386	2	13	113
182	Willie Wood	1961	25	GNB	14	225	2	18.2	112
183	Fulton Walker	1985	27	2TM	62	692	0	11.2	112
184	Billy Johnson	1974	22	HOU	30	409	0	13.6	112
185	Desmond Howard	1998	28	OAK	45	541	2	12.7	112
186	David Palmer	1995	23	MIN	26	342	1	13.7	112
187	Ben Davis	1967	22	CLE	18	229	1	13.6	111
188	Ken Konz	1956	28	CLE	13	187	1	15.5	111
189	Lamont Brightful	2002	23	BAL	15	241	1	17.1	111
190	Dexter Carter	1993	26	SFO	34	411	1	12.5	111
191	Julian Edelman	2012	26	NWE	17	263	1	16.4	110
192	Charlie Trippi	1953	31	CRD	21	239	0	11.4	109
193	Tim Brown	1993	27	RAI	40	465	1	12	109
194	Robert Bailey	1994	26	RAM	1	103	1	118	109
195	Joe Scudero	1955	25	WAS	25	241	1	10.2	109
196	Jermaine Lewis	1998	24	BAL	32	405	2	13.6	109
197	Doak Walker	1954	27	DET	4	117	1	33	108
198	George McAfee	1941	23	CHI	5	158	1	34.6	108
199	Darrien Gordon	1993	23	SDG	31	395	0	12.7	107
200	Frank Bernardi	1956	23	CRD	18	217	1	12.9	107

Desmond Howard’s 1996 season was incredible. His record 875 punt return yards will be tough to beat: he played for the best team in the league, and the Packers defense gave him 58 punts to return. To break that record, a punt returner will almost have to play for a team with a great defense, as it’s going to be hard to do much better than Howard’s 15.1 yards per punt return average. Then, in the playoffs, Howard continued his dominant return ways. He scored the first touchdown of the game against the 49ers via a punt return, and added a 99-yard kickoff return in the Super Bowl, which led to him capturing MVP honors. Also of note: Football Perspective favorite Pat Studstill’s 1962 season cracks the top 25.

The final step in this process is to convert these ratings into a career grade. The simplest thing to do would be to sum the values produced by each returner in every season of their career. I did that, and I’ve included that result in the table below, but I also included another measure that I think works better. Adding the grades for each season tends to award longevity over dominance, and a really bad season cancels out a really good season. Some might think those are good aspects of the system, but when we think of the best returners, we tend to think of them at their best. So the formula I used was to take 100% of each punt returner’s best season, 90% of their second best, 80% of their third best, and so on; I also did not include any season where the punt returner had a below-average grade.

Using this formula, Devin Hester grades as the best punt returner ever. Here’s how to read his line: His first year returning punts was in 2006, and his last was in 2013; for his career, he has returned 264 punts for 3,241 yards and 13 touchdowns, giving him a 13.0 AY/PR average. If you sum his values from every season, you get a total of 945, but by my preferred measure, he comes out with a value of 961, making him the best punt returner ever.

Rk	Player	First Yr	Last Yr	PR	Yards	TDs	AY/PR	Sum	Value
1	Devin Hester	2006	2013	264	3241	13	13	945	961
2	Rick Upchurch	1975	1983	248	3008	8	12.6	981	792
3	Billy Johnson	1974	1988	282	3317	6	12.1	865	770
4	Brian Mitchell	1990	2003	463	4999	9	11.1	680	760
5	Darrien Gordon	1993	2002	314	3601	6	11.8	620	665
6	Desmond Howard	1992	2002	244	2895	8	12.4	585	633
7	Speedy Duncan	1964	1974	202	2201	4	11.2	701	631
8	Jermaine Lewis	1996	2004	295	3282	6	11.4	479	587
9	J.T. Smith	1978	1990	267	2764	4	10.6	557	559
10	Vai Sikahema	1986	1993	292	3169	4	11.1	604	537
11	Jack Christiansen	1951	1957	85	1084	8	14.2	540	512
12	Dave Meggett	1989	1998	349	3708	7	10.9	531	486
13	Dante Hall	2000	2008	216	2261	6	10.9	366	481
14	Mike Fuller	1975	1982	252	2660	2	10.7	526	473
15	Mel Gray	1987	1997	252	2753	3	11.1	476	472
16	Roscoe Parrish	2005	2012	165	1920	3	11.9	445	463
17	Allen Rossum	1998	2009	307	3056	3	10.1	227	442
18	Bill Thompson	1969	1978	157	1814	0	11.6	547	425
19	Dick Christy	1958	1963	67	905	4	14.4	409	422
20	Bob Hayes	1965	1974	104	1158	3	11.6	412	404
21	Henry Ellard	1983	1993	135	1527	4	11.8	379	403
22	Eric Metcalf	1991	2002	351	3453	10	10.3	214	397
23	Tim Brown	1988	2004	326	3320	3	10.3	372	396
24	Dennis Northcutt	2000	2009	255	2592	3	10.3	298	394
25	Deion Sanders	1989	2004	212	2199	6	10.8	280	390
26	Josh Cribbs	2005	2013	203	2250	3	11.3	371	385
27	Alvin Haymond	1964	1973	253	2148	1	8.5	237	367
28	Dana McLemore	1982	1987	152	1598	4	10.9	300	367
29	Irving Fryar	1984	1991	206	2055	3	10.2	275	357
30	Claude Gibson	1961	1965	110	1381	3	13	402	353
31	Rodger Bird	1966	1968	94	1063	0	11.3	365	351
32	Troy Brown	1993	2007	252	2625	3	10.6	252	351
33	LeRoy Irvin	1980	1989	147	1457	4	10.3	260	332
34	Louis Lipps	1984	1992	112	1234	3	11.4	272	327
35	Karl Williams	1996	2004	255	2565	5	10.4	168	326
36	Clarence Verdin	1988	1994	178	1650	4	9.6	110	326
37	Santana Moss	2001	2013	130	1398	3	11.1	235	323
38	Leodis McKelvin	2008	2013	71	817	3	12.1	169	320
39	Neal Colzie	1975	1981	170	1759	0	10.3	237	313
40	Patrick Peterson	2011	2013	128	1323	4	10.8	115	312
41	Leroy Kelly	1964	1973	94	990	3	11	312	310
42	Pacman Jones	2005	2013	128	1296	5	10.7	200	307
43	Greg Pruitt	1973	1984	194	2007	1	10.4	312	300
44	Michael Lewis	2001	2007	186	1818	1	9.9	100	295
45	Julian Edelman	2009	2013	107	1321	3	12.8	322	290
46	John Taylor	1987	1995	149	1517	2	10.4	232	289
47	Kelvin Martin	1987	1996	261	2567	3	10	194	286
48	B.J. Sams	2004	2008	128	1378	2	11	299	285
49	Az-Zahir Hakim	1999	2005	165	1773	3	11	255	285
50	Floyd Little	1967	1974	81	893	2	11.4	300	284
51	Bruce Taylor	1970	1976	142	1323	0	9.3	210	284
52	Mike Haynes	1976	1985	112	1168	2	10.7	209	283
53	Bruce Harper	1977	1982	183	1784	1	9.8	258	281
54	Jake Scott	1970	1976	130	1357	1	10.6	318	279
55	Freddie Solomon	1975	1983	177	1614	4	9.5	145	278
56	Woodley Lewis	1950	1958	138	1026	3	7.8	152	275
57	Tamarick Vanover	1995	2002	197	2016	4	10.5	153	273
58	Emlen Tunnell	1948	1959	258	2209	5	8.9	11	271
59	DeSean Jackson	2008	2013	131	1294	4	10.3	120	268
60	Jacoby Jones	2007	2013	235	2398	4	10.5	214	268
61	Lemar Parrish	1970	1978	131	1205	4	9.7	168	267
62	Charlie Trippi	1947	1954	63	864	2	14.2	275	264
63	Ted Ginn Jr.	2007	2013	156	1741	3	11.4	269	263
64	Billy Grimes	1949	1952	68	901	2	13.7	183	262
65	George Atkinson	1968	1975	148	1247	3	8.7	136	259
66	Bert Zagers	1955	1958	28	383	3	15.3	269	259
67	Ray Mathews	1951	1959	61	779	3	13.5	267	257
68	Bobby Joe Edmonds	1986	1995	134	1471	1	11.1	283	254
69	Willie Wood	1960	1971	187	1391	2	7.6	-139	254
70	Lem Barney	1967	1976	143	1312	2	9.4	195	250
71	Ollie Matson	1952	1964	65	595	3	9.8	192	246
72	Antwaan Randle El	2002	2010	311	2557	5	8.5	-203	246
73	Dexter McCluster	2010	2013	79	959	3	12.7	242	246
74	Walter Stanley	1985	1992	175	1619	1	9.3	55	244
75	Wes Welker	2004	2013	251	2487	0	9.9	233	243
76	Ron Smith	1965	1974	235	1788	2	7.7	-42	241
77	Jo-Jo Townsell	1985	1990	127	1360	2	10.9	256	239
78	Tom Watkins	1962	1968	96	970	3	10.6	158	234
79	Reggie Barlow	1997	2003	158	1639	2	10.6	95	231
80	Mack Herron	1973	1975	84	982	0	11.7	211	225
81	Eddie Brown	1974	1979	172	1511	1	8.9	40	224
82	Bobby Mitchell	1958	1968	69	699	3	10.8	206	223
83	Dwayne Harris	2011	2013	57	690	2	12.6	158	223
84	Eddie Kennison	1996	2007	153	1528	3	10.3	55	222
85	Rickie Harris	1965	1972	128	1029	3	8.4	84	222
86	Pat Studstill	1961	1965	59	716	0	12.1	191	222
87	Bill Dudley	1942	1953	124	1515	3	12.6	113	220
88	Eddie Royal	2008	2013	100	1072	2	11	161	220
89	Eddie Drummond	2002	2007	140	1280	4	9.6	82	220
90	Rod Woodson	1987	1999	260	2362	2	9.2	46	216
91	Phillip Buchanon	2002	2010	120	1076	3	9.3	18	215
92	Charlie Rogers	1999	2003	120	1248	1	10.5	87	213
93	Reggie Swinton	2001	2005	132	1311	2	10.2	134	212
94	David Palmer	1994	2000	162	1610	2	10.1	52	211
95	Jon Arnett	1957	1966	120	981	1	8.3	84	211
96	Paul Johns	1981	1984	74	843	2	11.8	237	209
97	Mike Nelms	1980	1984	212	1948	2	9.3	162	208
98	Keith Moody	1976	1979	88	920	3	11	230	208
99	Jim Bertelsen	1972	1976	74	821	0	11.1	189	207
100	Mike Martin	1983	1989	140	1381	0	9.9	119	204
101	Jeff Ogden	1999	2002	57	749	1	13.4	198	202
102	Robbie Martin	1981	1986	175	1670	3	9.8	177	202
103	Buddy Young	1947	1955	67	698	2	10.9	66	201
104	Hugh McElhenny	1952	1964	126	920	2	7.5	-1	201
105	Stanley Morgan	1977	1981	92	960	1	10.6	207	201
106	Johnnie Lee Higgins	2007	2010	115	973	3	8.9	-41	198
107	Johnny Williams	1952	1953	42	538	2	13.5	203	197
108	R.W. McQuarters	1998	2008	227	2020	3	9.1	-77	196
109	Glyn Milburn	1993	2001	304	2984	1	9.9	38	196
110	Nate Burleson	2003	2009	156	1523	3	10.1	174	195
111	Lynn Swann	1974	1979	61	739	1	12.4	168	193
112	Veryl Switzer	1954	1955	48	464	1	10	194	193
113	Johnny Bailey	1990	1995	148	1420	2	9.8	118	192
114	Gale Sayers	1965	1968	27	391	2	15.6	200	190
115	Tyrone Hughes	1993	1998	162	1411	2	8.9	-128	190
116	Travis Benjamin	2012	2013	25	406	2	17.4	196	190
117	Leo Lewis	1983	1991	201	1868	1	9.4	111	188
118	Terry Metcalf	1974	1981	84	936	1	11.3	165	187
119	Jacquez Green	1998	2002	72	832	2	12	152	185
120	Red Cochran	1947	1949	33	583	2	18.6	189	184
121	Derrick Mason	1997	2004	182	1590	2	8.9	-161	180
122	Darius Reynaud	2009	2013	102	985	2	10	55	178
123	Brian Westbrook	2003	2007	39	498	2	13.5	168	178
124	Jackie Wallace	1974	1978	83	852	0	10.3	109	178
125	Ron Gardin	1970	1971	34	419	1	12.8	182	177
126	Ken Konz	1953	1959	68	556	1	8.4	151	177
127	Noland Smith	1967	1969	63	635	1	10.3	182	176
128	Carl Taseff	1951	1962	117	850	2	7.5	107	175
129	Jeremy Ross	2012	2013	21	366	1	18.1	179	172
130	George McAfee	1941	1950	112	1431	2	13	70	170
131	Carl Garrett	1969	1972	43	487	0	11.3	176	169
132	Tandon Doss	2012	2013	27	412	1	15.8	167	166
133	Bill Butler	1959	1964	88	850	2	10	124	166
134	Lionel James	1984	1988	124	1193	2	9.9	113	165
135	Abe Woodson	1958	1965	123	956	2	8	-68	165
136	Mark Jones	2004	2009	159	1483	0	9.3	86	165
137	Jon Staggers	1970	1974	94	792	3	8.9	82	165
138	Gerald Willhite	1982	1988	101	1012	1	10.2	138	163
139	Tommy Vigorito	1981	1985	79	830	2	10.9	168	163
140	Patrick Crayton	2004	2011	135	1291	2	9.8	101	162
141	Abner Haynes	1960	1967	85	875	1	10.5	157	161
142	Ernie Steele	1942	1948	55	809	0	14.7	135	161
143	Johnny Roland	1966	1971	49	452	2	9.8	123	161
144	Al Carmichael	1953	1961	122	912	0	7.5	117	160
145	Jimmy Williams	2002	2006	93	817	1	8.9	-24	158
146	Rex Bumgardner	1948	1952	24	395	2	17.7	124	157
147	Micheal Spurlock	2007	2013	81	780	2	10	26	157
148	Jerry Davis	1948	1952	25	398	2	17.1	120	157
149	Herb Rich	1950	1954	14	281	1	21.1	144	156
150	Ray McLean	1941	1947	42	622	2	15.5	143	155

These results seem pretty reasonable to me. Players like Deion Sanders and Gale Sayers were great return men, but don’t rank high on the list for legitimate reasons. With Deion, he was the ultimate high risk/high reward punt returner: his 6 punt return touchdowns is impressive, but he seemed to be shooting for a touchdown or bust on every play. As a result, his average AY/PR is not all that impressive, and he only had one top-200 season (1998). For Sayers, he was more kickoff returner than punt returner, as he only returned 27 punts in his career. I’ll let you guys provide your thoughts on the rest of the list, but I’ll close with some flaws in the methodology.

Factors Adjusted Yards per Punt Return Does Not Incorporate

There are many variables that would go into a proper rating of a punt returner; here are just some of the big ones that are ignored in this system.

Fumbling is the worst thing a punt returner can do, and avoiding fumbling is an important part of being a good returner. Unfortunately, with so many punt returners fumbling on non-punt plays, it’s impossible (at least historically) to separate punt return fumbles from other fumbles. I’ve thrown my hands up and ignored the issue, although with the time and inclination, I could include that data for the 1999 to 2013 seasons.
The yards a player gains on punt returns are not solely attributable to him, of course. The quality of the coaching staff and the strength of his blockers play a huge part in determining how yards any given punt return gains. Similarly, the quality of the opponent and the opposing punter is a factor that is ignored here as well.
A punt returner can “game” the system a bit by being a bit too anxious to call for a fair catch. Similarly, a punt returner who rarely calls fair catches — and instead picks up 3-5 yards — is adding value, but is hurt by this formula.
To the extent punters act sub-optimally by punting out of bounds to avoid allowing a return, the punt returner is not awarded credit in my system for that value he has created.

References[+]

References
↑1	Why 15 yards? That’s a good question. Generally, we credit a player with 20 yards for every touchdown, but special teams touchdowns are less valuable than offensive touchdowns. That’s because a touchdown on 2nd-and-goal is more valuable than a special teams touchdown; if the 2nd-and-goal play is stopped at the 1, the team’s expected value on that possession is lower than the team’s expected value if the punt return is stopped at the 1, because in the latter case, the team still has four downs. In fact, the difference between a 50-yard punt return to the 1 and a 51-yard punt return is pretty small. I thought about giving only 10 yards for every punt return touchdown, but there’s another thing to consider: all punt return yards are devalued for the same reason. The average punt return yard is less valuable than the average yard gained on a play from scrimmage because there’s no possibility that the marginal punt return yard picked up a first down. As a result, I settled on 15, although as you can clearly see, this was just a “this feels right” solution.

Tagged as: Devin Hester, Punt Returners, Returners, Special Teams

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