Some of the most memorable events in the brief history of the Houston Texans franchise have been marked by some of the finest kickers in team history. A single or even two points may make or break an NFL game, making every successful or unsuccessful field goal kick a game-changing moment for the team’s starting kicker.
The Texans, a team founded in 2002, have had just six placekickers in their history. Kris Brown was the team’s first kicker and has remained so since those early days. While Neil Rackers, another NFL star, also spent a few years with the squad.
Here is a list of our Top 5 Best Place Kickers of All Time:
1. Shane Lechler
In Houston, Lechler kicked three kickoffs and averaged a distance of 60.3 yards per kick. As a Texan, Lechler racked up 20,461 punting yards, surpassing Guy to take the #1 spot on the all-time list of the NFL’s finest punters.
2. Ka’imi Fairbairn
The Texans signed Fairbairn as a free agent in 2016, but he was placed on injured reserve for the entire season. It took Fairbairn a while to settle in and become the team’s top touchback kicker after a bumpy start. He currently places opponents in their own end zone on 60.1% of his efforts.
3. Kris Brown
As far as Texans scorers go, Kris Brown is the all-time leading scorer with 767 points. Averaging 63.8 yards on kickoffs in his seven seasons with the Texans, Brown only missed two of his 253 extra-point kicks.
4. Neil Rackers
The Houston Texans signed Rackers on April 5, 2010, to replace Kris Brown for the remainder of the 2010 season. On September 12, Rackers kicked his first two field goals as a Texan.
5. Donnie Jones
As a replacement for Brett Hartmann, who was out due to suspension, Jones made fast work of the punting job and hasn’t looked back since. For the 2012 season, Jones threw 88 punts for 4,150 yards, an average of 47.2 yards per punt, making him one of the most prolific punters in NFL history.
