Robert James Malone (born February 4, 1988) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

punter. He was signed by the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2010. He played college football at

Fresno State California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...

. He was also a member of the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...

, Detroit Lions, San Diego Chargers, New York Jets, and

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

College career

Malone played college football at

. There he was a first-team All- WAC selection after punting 44 times for a 45.2-yard average, with 17 of his kicks downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line. He also kicked 15 punts for 50 or more yards, including a career long of 74. In his collegiate career, Malone played in 41 games and punted 120 times for 5,117 yards with a 42.6-yard average and 44 punts inside the 20.

Professional career

Jacksonville Jaguars

Malone originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the

in the spring of 2010. However, he was released before training camp by the Jaguars, who stuck with their incumbent punter

Adam Podlesh Adam Podlesh (born August 11, 1983) is a former American football punter. He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins, and is the only player in school history to be on the All- Atlantic Coast Conference team for four years. His punti ...

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Malone was signed by the Buccaneers on October 13, 2010 to replace Chris Bryan as the team's punter. He was waived on August 29, 2011.

Detroit Lions

On November 11, 2011, Malone signed with the Detroit Lions after an injury to Ryan Donahue. He was waived on November 15 and was replaced by Ben Graham.

San Diego Chargers

He signed with the Chargers on May 30, 2012.

New York Jets

Malone was signed by the New York Jets on September 4, 2012. He became the team's starting punter with the release of incumbent

T. J. Conley Timothy Joseph “T. J.” Conley Jr. (born August 29, 1985) is an American football punter who currently is a free agent. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New York Jets in 2009. He played college football at Idaho. Professional ...

. He was released on September 16, 2013.

Washington Redskins

Malone signed a reserve/future contract with the

on December 31, 2013. He was waived for final roster cuts on August 29, 2014.

New York Giants

Malone signed a contract with the New York Giants in 2015. On September 1, 2015, he was waived by the Giants.

Personal life

Robert Malone grew up in Riverside, CA and went to Martin Luther King High School. He punted for the high school football team. His cousin, Tom Malone, was an NFL punter and played college football at USC. In October 2022, Robert was inducted into the Martin Luther King Athletic Hall of Fame. https://kingwolvesathletics.com/2022/10/25/a-classy-hall-of-fame-ceremony-for-the-class-of-2022/

References

External links

Fresno State Bulldogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malone, Robert 1988 births Living people Players of American football from California Sportspeople from Riverside, California American football punters Fresno State Bulldogs football players Jacksonville Jaguars players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Detroit Lions players New York Jets players Washington Redskins players New York Giants players