Oakland Raiders second-year head coach Jon Gruden signaled on Sunday that punter Johnny Townsend is not secure as the starter. This is due to a strong training camp from rookie AJ Cole.

Cole, 23, is an undrafted free agent out of N.C. State signed by the Raiders. Townsend, meanwhile, is entering his second season in the NFL after being selected by the Silver and black in the fifth round of the 2018 draft.

Here's what Gruden had to say about Cole (via The Athletic's Vic Tafur):

“He put on an orbital display the other day. We haven't seen kicks like that since Lechler was here or King.”

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Jon Gruden referenced Marquette King, an irreverent and personable punter who spent six seasons with the franchise before signing a three-year deal with AFC West division rivals Denver Broncos. Shane Lechler was Oakland's longtime punter, a seven-time Pro-Bowler who played from 2000-12 for the Raiders and led the league in punting yards for four seasons.

Gruden also added:

“We got a battle. Townsend has his hands full.”

Townsend appeared in every one of Oakland's 16 regular-season games last season, punting 70 times. He was both 15th in the league's special teams rankings in number of punts and punt yardage, totaling 3,022 yards. Townsend's longest punt in 2018 went 64 yards and he averaged one of the league's worst yards per punt at 43.2, the fourth-worst in the NFL (and second-worst full-time punter among the 32 teams).