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Saints Sign Veteran Punter

Section: Talent

Dave Lawrence

The New Orleans Saints signed veteran free agent punter Chris Hanson to a one-year contract Friday. The signing was announced by Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis.


P Chris Hanson
Hanson, 30, is a six-year NFL veteran, having played 85 of his 86 career games with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 6-foot-2, 202-pound left-footed punter out of Marshall has never had a punt blocked in his 428 career kicks, averaging 42.9 yards per punt with a net average of 35.9 and a long kick of 74 yards, with 136 of his punts being placed inside the opponents' 20-yard line compared to just 50 touchbacks.

The 2002 Pro Bowl selection signed with Jacksonville in 2001 and held down the punting job with the Jaguars for the past six seasons. The Senoia, Ga, native also served as the holder for place-kicks during his tenure in Jacksonville. He has played in all 16 games in five of his six NFL campaigns.

Hanson originally signed out of college with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent and has also spent time on the rosters of the Green Bay Packers and Miami Dolphins, making one appearance for Green Bay as a rookie in 1999.

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