Las Vegas Raiders punters and NFL First-Team All-Pro lists are simply synonymous.
From Hall of Famer Ray Guy to Shane Lechler and now A.J. Cole III, the Silver and Black’s penchant to churn out high-quality specialists is commonplace. Cole earned his second first-team honor and landed among the NFL’s best for his 2023 campaign.
The running tally for a Raiders punter earning the first-team All-Pro distinction sits at 11, with Cole’s latest honor. The leader of the pack is Lechler with six, followed by Guy with three. Cole’s first All-Pro nod arrived after a stellar 2021 campaign.
NFL Players Association announced its second annual Players’ All-Pro team: pic.twitter.com/5Y3kO4jbty
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 10, 2024
The 6-foot-4, 228-pound, 28-year-old punter finished in the top 10 this season in several categories, including fourth in average yards per boot (50.4), fifth in average net yards per kick (43.7), and fourth in punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line (34). Cole also tied for the longest punt of the season (83 yards) with the Los Angeles Chargers’ J.K. Scott.
The Raiders’ Duo Is Special
Not only does Cole serve as the field-flipping boomer of a punter, but he’s also the holder on the Raiders field goal and point after attempts, forming an elite special team’s battery with kicker Daniel Carlson and long snapper Jacob Bobenmoyer.
It’s no wonder Cole’s name appeared on not only the AP NFL First-Team All Pro list (the NFL’s official recognized list that has a voting panel of 50 media members), but also the NFL Player Association All Pro Team. The players vote for that list, and Cole was also the first-team punter in that group.
The NFLPA announced its second annual Players’ All-Pro Team, voted on by the players themselves. pic.twitter.com/cZp5xqK659
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 10, 2024
Cole wasn’t the lone Raider to make both the NFL and NFLPA All-Pro teams. Las Vegas’ energizer bunny of a chaos maker, defensive end Maxx Crosby, also appeared on both the AP and player radar, unsurprisingly. But unlike his teammate, Crosby was a second-team selection by the media and a first-team pick by players. On the NFLPA list, he’s the pick alongside the Cleveland Browns’ Myles Garrett. On the NFL list, Crosby is behind both Garrett and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ T.J. Watt.
Cole and Crosby also earned Pro Bowl nods for their respective work this past season.
Down Year For Daniel Carlson
The running gag the two years prior to the 2023 season was ensuring you have Carlson as your fantasy football kicker, as you’re going to net yourself both field goal attempts and makes. The Raiders’ habitual face plants on offense under both former head coaches and offensive play callers Jon Gruden and Josh McDaniels in the red zone put DC2 on the NFL All-Pro team twice in 2021 and 2022 (second- and first-team honors those years).
That wasn’t the case this year.
Las Vegas did struggle mightily, but Carlson didn’t get the same number of chances, getting 30 field goal tries in 2023 and making only 26 of them. The 86.7% was unusual for the 28-year-old kicker, who is normally money. Carlson finished outside the top 10 in several categories but was tied for first in point after percentage, going 32 of 32 on extra points.
Over A.J. Cole III’s Shoulder
If it weren’t for getting his plant leg injured (left) in early December and landing on injured reserve, we’d likely see the Tennessee Titans’ Ryan Stonehouse as the first-team punter on the NFL All-Pro list or NFLPA All-Pro list, if not both.
Despite missing the last five games of the season, the 24-year-old punter holds the highest average per boot (53.1) and second-highest net yards per punt (45.3).
If Stonehouse returns to full health, it’ll be interesting to watch what 2024 holds for him and Cole.
*Top Photo: Getty Images