Corey Bojorquez (/bˈhɔːrkɛz/ boh-HOR-kez;[1] born September 13, 1996) is an American professional football punter for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Cerritos College before transferring to New Mexico, and signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He has also played for the Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, and Green Bay Packers.

Corey Bojorquez
refer to caption
Bojorquez with the Packers in 2021
No. 13 – Cleveland Browns
Position:Punter
Personal information
Born: (1996-09-13) September 13, 1996 (age 28)
Bellflower, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:217 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:Mayfair (Lakewood, California)
College:Cerritos (2014–2015)
New Mexico (2016–2017)
Undrafted:2018
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 9, 2024
Punts:416
Punt yards:19,743
Punt average:47.5
Inside 20:169
Longest punt:84
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Bojorquez attended and played high school football at Mayfair High School in Lakewood, California.[2]

College career

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Bojorquez verbally committed to play college football at Sacramento State, but changed his mind at the last minute, opting to play at Cerritos College, a junior college known for producing dozens of professional players, to improve his prospects of making it to an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision program. After Bojoroquez received offers from Indiana State University, a Football Championship Subdivision school, and Concordia University, a member of the RSEQ Conference in Canada, he decided to accept an offer to transfer to the University of New Mexico.[3][2] He handled punts duties in the 2016 and 2017 seasons.[4] In 2017, he was named a 3rd Team All-American punter by GPR Punt Rating.[5]

College statistics

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Year School G Punts Yds Avg
2016 New Mexico 13 49 2,067 42.2
2017 New Mexico 12 67 3,170 47.3
Career New Mexico 25 116 5,237 45.1

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span
6 ft 0+14 in
(1.84 m)
217 lb
(98 kg)
30+12 in
(0.77 m)
9+12 in
(0.24 m)
All values from Pro Day[6]

New England Patriots

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Bojorquez signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent on May 14, 2018.[7] He was waived on September 1, 2018.[8] Bojorquez was one of the final preseason cuts by New England as the team opted to keep incumbent punter Ryan Allen, but was intended to be signed to their practice squad. He never played a snap during the preseason, only practicing some punts during the intermission of the last preseason game with the Patriots.[3]

Buffalo Bills

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On September 2, 2018, Bojorquez was claimed off waivers by the Buffalo Bills, and was named the starting punter after the team released Colton Schmidt.[9] He made his NFL debut in the Bills' season opener against the Baltimore Ravens. In the 47–3 loss, he had eight punts for 397 net yards for a 49.6 average.[10] Bojorquez sustained a shoulder injury during the October 7 game against the Tennessee Titans; after playing three games with the injured shoulder, he was placed on injured reserve on October 31, ending his season.[11] Overall, he finished his rookie season with 45 punts for 2,028 net yards for a 45.07 average.[12]

In the 2019 season, Bojorquez finished with 79 punts for 3,313 net yards for a 41.94 average.[13] In the Wild Card Round of the playoffs against the Houston Texans, he was involved in an unusual sequence toward the end of the game. Bojorquez was normally the holder for the Bills on field goal attempts in 2019.[14] The Bills did not know if they had a first down or if they were short with little time remaining. The spot of the ball was being reviewed by the booth. If the spot remained a fourth down, the Bills would be forced to attempt a field goal with time expiring. To counter this, Bills' head coach Sean McDermott sent the special teams onto the field during the review. After the review, the Bills had earned a first down and the clock restarted. Instead of losing valuable time to get the special teams off of the field, Bojorquez had to get under center and spike the ball to stop the clock.[15]

In week 5 of the 2020 season against the Titans, Bojorquez had a career-long 74-yard punt, breaking his previous career long set the previous week.[16] In the 2020 season, he punted 41 times for a 50.78 average.[17]

Los Angeles Rams

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On April 20, 2021, Bojorquez signed with the Los Angeles Rams.[18]

Green Bay Packers

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On August 31, 2021, Bojorquez was traded to the Green Bay Packers along with a 2023 seventh-round draft pick in exchange for a 2023 sixth-round draft pick.[19]

On October 17, 2021, Bojorquez had an 82-yard punt in the third quarter of a 24–14 victory over the Chicago Bears. The punt was a new career long for Bojorquez, the second-longest in Packers history, and the longest of the 2021 NFL season.[20][21] In the 2021 season, he punted 53 times for a 46.55 average.[22]

Cleveland Browns

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On April 4, 2022, Bojorquez signed with the Cleveland Browns.[23] He was named the starting punter in 2022, beating out Joseph Charlton. In Week 17, Bojorquez had four punts, two landing inside the 20-yard line with a long of 64 yards in a 24–10 win over the Washington Commanders, earning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.[24] In the 2022 season, he punted 61 times with a 48.51 average.[25]

On March 15, 2024, Bojorquez signed a two-year contract extension with the Browns.[26]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Led the league

Regular season

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Year Team GP Punting
Punts Yds Lng Avg Net Avg Blk Ins20 RetY
2018 BUF 8 45 2,028 60 45.1 39.4 1 22 137
2019 BUF 16 79 3,313 67 41.9 37.7 1 34 157
2020 BUF 16 41 2,082 72 50.8 44.0 0 18 138
2021 GB 17 53 2,467 82 46.6 40.0 0 18 268
2022 CLE 17 61 2,959 76 48.5 40.5 0 23 348
2023 CLE 16 83 4,294 73 49.4 42.2 0 31 443
Total 90 366 17,143 82 46.8 40.5 2 146 1,491

Postseason

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Year Team GP Punting
Punts Yds Lng Avg Net Avg Blk Ins20 RetY
2019 BUF 1 4 179 56 44.8 37.0 0 1 11
2020 BUF 3 11 483 58 43.9 40.8 0 3 14
2021 GB 1 5 235 59 47.0 35.5 1 0 22
2023 CLE 1 4 176 52 44.0 42.0 0 0 8
Total 6 24 1,073 59 44.7 39.1 1 5 55

Personal life

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Bojorquez is the oldest of four siblings, and is married to Diana Wong of Hilo, Hawaii.[3] He is an ordained minister.[27][28] He is of Mexican descent.[29]

References

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  1. ^ Modesti, Kevin (August 25, 2021). "Rams punter Corey Bojorquez homes in on roster spot". Orange County Register. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Daniels, Mark (August 6, 2018). "Rookie punter Corey Bojorquez if getting a leg up on the competition". MetroWest Daily News. Framingham, MA. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Wolf, Jason (November 1, 2020). "Why Bill Belichick couldn't hide Corey Bojorquez from the Bills". The Buffalo News. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  4. ^ "Corey Bojorquez College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  5. ^ "GPR Punt Rating". Gpr2021.
  6. ^ "2018 Draft Scout Corey Bojorquez, New Mexico NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
  7. ^ "Patriots Sign P Corey Bojorquez; Release Rookie WR Darren Andrews". Patriots.com. May 14, 2018. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  8. ^ "Patriots Announce Roster Cutdown". Patriots.com. September 1, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  9. ^ Brown, Chris (September 2, 2018). "Bills awarded claim for CB Ryan Lewis and P Corey Bojorquez". BuffaloBills.com. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  10. ^ "Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Ravens – September 9th, 2018". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  11. ^ Brown, Chris (October 31, 2018). "Bills sign QB Matt Barkley, re-sign P Colton Schmidt". BuffaloBills.com. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  12. ^ "Corey Bojorquez 2018 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  13. ^ "Corey Bojorquez 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  14. ^ "Buffalo Bills Depth Chart Archive". ourlads.com. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  15. ^ Healy, John (January 4, 2020). "The 5 Most Bizarre Moments of the Bills-Texans Game". radio.com. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  16. ^ "Corey Bojorquez sends 74-YARD punt into orbit for Bills". National Football League. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  17. ^ "Corey Bojorquez 2020 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  18. ^ "Rams sign punter Corey Bojorquez". therams.com. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  19. ^ Jackson, Stu (August 31, 2021). "Rams trade punter Corey Bojorquez to Packers". Rams.com. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  20. ^ Kruse, Zach (October 19, 2021). "Packers P Corey Bojorquez blasts second-longest punt in team history". Packers Wire. USA Today. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  21. ^ "NFL Player Stats – Longest Punt". TeamRankings.com. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  22. ^ "Corey Bojorquez 2021 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  23. ^ Poisal, Anthony (April 4, 2022). "Browns sign P Corey Bojorquez". ClevelandBrowns.com. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  24. ^ Smith, Coral (January 4, 2023). "Buccaneers WR Mike Evans, Chargers RB Austin Ekeler lead Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  25. ^ "Corey Bojorquez 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  26. ^ "Browns re-sign P Corey Bojorquez". ClevelandBrowns.com. March 15, 2024.
  27. ^ Hodkiewicz, Wes (September 4, 2021). "5 things to know about P Corey Bojorquez". Packers.com. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  28. ^ Wilde, Jason (September 7, 2021). "New Packers punter Corey Bojorquez not afraid of competition — or of asking Aaron Rodgers for his jersey". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  29. ^ "Equipos de la NFL estarán luciendo banderas de países para celebrar la diversidad internacional". Record.com.mx. October 20, 2023.
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