The Oakland Raiders do not have an experienced punter on their roster.
Chris Kluwe is an available punter with eight years of NFL experience. Kluwe has indicated he is being cut by the Minnesota Vikings.
Would it be worth Oakland’s time and effort to consider Kluwe?
The Raiders are totally rebuilding, and general manager Reggie McKenzie is counting on inexperience at other positions. Punter Marquette King may end up getting his chance to show he can be the long-term answer. The Raiders also signed rookie Bobby Cowan out of Idaho, but King seems to be the young punter Oakland is focused on.
King was intriguing last year in training camp and in the preseason, as he showed he has a booming leg. But he is raw and inconsistent, and it often takes punters a few years to find that consistency.
Oakland has a hole at the position because it let star punter Shane Lechler leave for Houston in free agency. If Oakland feels it needs an experience punter, it could turn to Kluwe. He is not an upper-echelon punter, but he is solid and very likely would be better than King this year because of the experience factor. And Kluwe could be an affordable acquisition.
If Oakland bypasses Kluwe, King would then get his chance this summer. And if King fails, the Raiders can always search the waiver wire for a punter after teams make their final cuts.
