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September 8, 2016So, Any Chance the Indians Blow This Thing?
September 9, 2016The Cleveland Browns special teams unit will look a whole lot different from just a season ago—like many of the other positions on the team.
The two biggest positions on special teams, kicker and punter, will be manned by at least two different players in 2016. Going into this season, the Browns starting punter is Britton Colquitt, while Patrick Murray is the starting kicker and Charley Hughlett is the starting long snapper. At returner, the team does not really have a starter in place, so the likes of Corey Coleman, Duke Johnson, Tramon Williams and George Atkinson will likely be the main contributors in this area.
So, what can we expect from the Browns special teams? Let’s take a look at the team’s special teams unit going into the 2016 NFL season.
2016 Browns Preview Series: Safeties, Cornerbacks, Inside Linebackers, Outside Linebackers, Defensive Line, Tight Ends, Offensive Line, Running Backs/Fullbacks, Wide Receivers, Quarterbacks, Special Teams
Key Additions: P Britton Colquitt and K Patrick Murray
Key Losses: P Andy Lee, K Travis Coons, KR Justin Gilbert, PR Travis Benjamin
Expected Starters: P Britton Colquitt, K Patrick Murray and LS Charley Hughlett
The Browns starters on special teams will have new faces this year. Punter Andy Lee and kicker Travis Coons are gone. In their spot are punter Britton Colquitt and kicker Patrick Murray. The only remaining starter on special teams is long snapper Charley Hughlett. In 16 games with the Denver Broncos last season, Colquitt averaged 43.6 yards per punt with 22 of his 84 total punts landing inside the 20-yard line. Patrick Murray missed the entire 2015 with an injury, but in 2014 in 16 games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Murray made 20 of 24 field goals and 31 of 31 extra points. Charley Hughlett started all 16 games at long snapper last season with the Browns, posting three tackles last year.
Colquitt is a veteran punter, who is entering his eighth season in the league. The punter has never punted in a regular season game with anyone else besides the Denver Broncos. Last season in Denver, he ranked 28th in the league in average yards per punt at 43.6 yards. He was 23rd in the league with 22 punts landing inside the 20-yard line. But, he did rank 12th in fewest average yards per return on his punts. So, he may not have the best leg, but his hang time allowed his coverage team to limit the returns on the punts. He is a veteran punter who the team can feel confident in doing his job.
Murray is coming off an ACL tear in 2015, which caused him to miss the entire 2015 NFL season. But in the 2014 with the Buccaneers, he ranked 19th in field goal percentage at 83.3%. He was fourth in the league with five goals made over 50 yards. Murray boasts a strong leg, which is a big change from the weaker, but more accurate leg of Travis Coons. Murray is entering his third season in the NFL.
Charley Hughlett started all 16 games last season at long snapper for the Browns. He is a quality long snapper because last season we did not hear his name and that means he did not have a huge mistake like a bad snap. He went undrafted in 2012, but received his first playing time last season with the Browns.
AP Photo/Ron Schwane
The Browns starting special team players are different, but they do provide experience. Colquitt has many seasons of productive punting and is someone who can take the reins from Andy Lee and be a serviceable replacement. Murray, I believe, is a better kicker than Travis Coons. He has a stronger leg, which should help in both field goal kicking and kickoff kicking. Hughlett is a steady long snapper with no big mistakes in his first season with the team. The starting group may not be great, but it is a group with solid talent who should be fine for the 2016 season.
Possible Contributors: Corey Coleman, Duke Johnson, Tramon Williams and George Atkinson
The possible contributors on the special teams are the players who could return either kicks or punts during the season. Corey Coleman, Duke Johnson, Tramon Williams and George Atkinson are the four players who should be the top possibilities to be contributing players as returners. In 2015 with Baylor, Corey Coleman returned three punts for nine yards, while returning three kicks for 36 yards. Last year with the Browns, Duke Johnson returned two kicks for 52 yards. Last season with the Browns, Tramon Williams returned one punt for one yard. And in 2014 with the Oakland Raiders, his only season of playing time, George Atkinson returned seven kicks for 134 yards.
Coleman and Williams will most likely be the two possible contributors as punt returner. Coleman is a great athlete with speed and elusiveness that makes him a great option as a returner. He can make people miss, which is something a great returner needs. Williams is a steady veteran who provides less playmaking ability than Coleman does as a returner. But, Williams still has good speed and veteran experience to be a good option as the punt returner.
Duke Johnson and George Atkinson are the two likeliest contributors at kick returner. Johnson is a great athlete with speed and elusiveness. He has the ability to make big plays, making defenders miss and breaking away from the coverage for a big return. Atkinson is a straight-line blazer, who can reach a hole faster than most. He can speed past the coverage team and make big plays using his speed.
Denis Poroy/Associated Press
Corey Coleman is the best option at punt returner and George Atkinson is the best option at kick returner as they both provide big play ability. Coleman has the elusiveness and speed that punt returners need to be productive. Atkinson has the straight-line speed that is highly valuable for a kick returner to have. The depth solid behind these two with Tramon Williams and Duke Johnson. The returner spots should be in good hands with these four players.
Biggest Strength: Returners
I really like the group of returners the Browns have going into the 2016 season and believe it is the team’s biggest strength on special teams. Corey Coleman has a chance to be a big play producer at the punt returner spot because of his speed and elusiveness. At kick returner, George Atkinson is a burner with experience returning in the NFL. He is another player with big play ability. But, the depth behind these two are also good. Tramon Williams is an experienced returner with solid athleticism still. Duke Johnson is a big play waiting to happen when he is carrying the ball in space. So, the team is in good shape with this group of returners.
Biggest Weakness: Field Goal Team
The Browns field goal team last season was a mess. Travis Coons was not good from distance and the blocking was horrible throughout the season. This season Patrick Murray comes in and replaces Coons as kicker. He has a stronger leg, but he is coming off an ACL tear, which is never easy to do especially for a kicker. The Browns blockers must get better at keeping the pressure away from the kicker and allowing clean kicks. It is a group with a lot of question marks that need to be answered.
Key Player: K Patrick Murray
Patrick Murray is the key player for the Browns special teams. He needs to be a better kicker than Travis Coons was last season. Murray has a chance to be the team’s future kicker if he can return from his ACL injury of a year ago and show his leg is as strong as ever. He will not only affect the field goal team, but also the kickoff. With his leg, he can have a chance to pin the opposing return team back far into the endzone, hurting their chance at returning the ball back. Murray has the leg talent, but can he be accurate enough to stick around to be the kicker the Browns have been searching for since Phil Dawson left?
Overall Opinion:
The Browns special teams is a unit with a lot of change and new faces. Andy Lee will be a big loss with how well he played last season. But, Brittin Colquitt should be a serviceable replacement for Lee, without hurting the punt team too much. In my opinion, Patrick Murray is better than Travis Coons. Murray provides a bigger leg, which gives the coaches more confidence to put him in on longer distance than the past coaches had with Coons last year. Murray also improves the teams kickoff coverage because of the distance he puts on the kicks. Charley Hughlett is solid and hopefully we will not have to talk about him for a mistake he makes.
The teams coverage units give me a little concern. The punt coverage gave up a touchdown during the preseason and just did not play well last season. The kickoff coverage lost Marlon Moore, so it could suffer some in replacing Moore on the outside coverage. The returners should be much improved from last season. The Browns have a couple players capable of making big plays as a returner. Even with the loss of Travis Benjamin, the Browns should be good at returning both punts and kicks this season. Overall, the special teams is solid with a few areas of question marks.
