Punt on punting? Go-for-it trend squeezing out 4th down pros

By DAVE CAMPBELL
AP Pro Football Writer

NFL punters have been fading further from view as the go-for-it trend on fourth down continues to spread. Washington’s Tress Way is among the veteran punters adjusting to fewer opportunities in a game. His team is tied for the second-fewest attempts per game in the league. Way has 22 punts in eight games. That’s an average of more than two fewer kicks per game than in his 2019 Pro Bowl season. The NFL average this year is 3.73 punts per team per game. That’s down from 4.22 punts per game in 2019, according to Sportradar data.