Raiders Special Teams Grades for the 2023-24 Season

Originally posted on FanNation Raider Maven
By Brayden P. Reedy | Last updated 1/14/24

One takeaway from the 2023-24 NFL regular season for the Las Vegas Raiders is once again finishing with a very talented special teams unit.

Punter AJ Cole and kicker Daniel Carlson led the way this season on the Raiders special teams, which ended up being ranked as the fourth-best special teams group in all of the NFL.

Punter AJ Cole finished with the highest special teams grade with a PFF punting grade of 83.6. His punting grade of 83.6 is the highest grade he has gotten since joining the Raiders in 2019. According to Pro Football Focus, Cole is listed as the third-best punter in the NFL. In his best punting performance season of his career, he finished with 75 punts kicked for 3,783 yards, averaging 50.4 yards per punt. Cole was named to the 2024 NFL Pro Bowl and received the 2023-24 NFL AP All-Pro recognition. In his fifth season as the Silver and Black punter, Cole has averaged 48.2 yards on punts for the Raiders.

Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson finished with the second-highest special teams grade with a PFF field goal/extra point grade of 73.0 and a kickoff grade of 75.3. According to Pro Football Focus, Carlson is listed as the 18th-best kicker in the NFL. He finished the season kicking 26 for 30 on-field goals and 32 32 on extra points for 110 points in 17 games. He also finished the season with an 86.7 field goal percentage. In his sixth season as a kicker in the NFL and five as the Raiders kicker, Carlson has kicked 169 for 192 on field goals and 200 for 208 on extra points for 707 points.

Cole and Carlson will continue to be a dynamic duo for the Raiders special teams unit next season.

You can look at Pro Football Focus's special teams grade rankings here.

From February 27 to March 4, 2024, the NFL Scouting Combine will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.

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This article first appeared on FanNation Raider Maven and was syndicated with permission.

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