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This week marks the beginning of Cleveland Browns training camp for the 2021 NFL season. The Browns are coming off one of the most successful seasons in more than a generation, including an 11-5 regular-season record and a playoff victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. So, they, along with the Dawg Pound, enter this year’s training camp with a lot of expectations and excitement.
There are a lot of storylines going into the 2021 season. Over the next few weeks, I will examine the top five storylines for each position group. Up first is the special teams unit.
1. Cody Parkey is the likely starting kicker
Two kickers are about to enter training camp this week for the Browns, last year’s starter Cody Parkey and Chase McLaughlin. There could be a competition for the kicker job, but most likely Parkey will return as Cleveland’s kicker for 2021. The question is how well he will perform this season. Last season, he was 19-of-22 for 86.4% in field goals, while also making 43-of-47 for 91.5% on extra points. The problem though is his reliability from distance. He did not attempt a field goal over 50 yards with his longest make coming from 46 yards.
The Browns have to find out if they can rely on Parkey for this coming season. He did his job well for the most part last season, but Cleveland really did not give him a lot of tough situations. And, I think that is why they will go with him and why the front office did not go out to find an upgrade this offseason. Kevin Stefanski will likely continue to be aggressive, choosing to go for the first down on more fourth downs, negating the use of the kicker. Cleveland does not want to settle for three. That is their mindset and why Parkey is the likely starter for 2021.
2. Jamie Gillan in Year 3
Jamie Gillan did not have a good Year 2 last season. He had 51 total punts during the regular season with an average of 44 yards per punt and 14 punts landed inside the 20-yard line. Both of those marks ranked in the bottom 10 amongst all full-time punters. It was definitely a step back from his rookie season where he showed a lot of promise. Can he regain that form and rebound from his down season?
I believe he can. The talent is there for Gillan. He is an athletic punter with a huge leg. Consistency is the key. I think with a more normal offseason and training camp, Gillan can regain his form from his rookie season and become a positive contributor on special teams. But, this season is a bit of a turning point for him. He has to perform well or he may be replaced next offseason.
3. Special teams returners
The Browns had not been able to find a good reliable returner on special teams since Josh Cribbs left years ago. Last season, the majority of the return reps for both kick and punt returns went to Donovan Peoples-Jones. Coming off a college career where he had a lot of success as a returner, that ability did not translate to his rookie season. He did not flash much and at times he made some dangerous decisions. So, the returner jobs are up in the air as we enter training camp.
There are a couple of names to watch with this competition. JoJo Natson was expected to be the guy last season who would handle both returner spots, but he was lost for the season very early on last year. If he is back to full health, he may be the favorite to be the Browns punt and kick returner. The one thing with that is whether he actually makes the roster given the roster crunch at wide receiver. So, if he doesn’t make it, Cleveland could go with Peoples-Jones as the punt returner and running back D’Ernest Johnson as the kicker returner. Peoples-Jones was better at punt returning and Johnson really ended the season well as the team’s kick returner. Other possible options are rookies Anthony Schwartz and Demetric Felton. The good thing is that the Browns seem to have a lot of nice options to decide from for these two returner spots.
4. Coverage teams
The Browns lost two key special team coverage guys, Tavierre Thomas and Tae Davis, to free agency this offseason. So, they will need to replace some big roles on the coverage teams. Last season, Cleveland showcased a good punt return coverage, but the kick return coverage team struggled, giving up the fifth-worst return average at 26.3 yards per return, including a touchdown return. So, in addition to the loss of Thomas and Davis, the Browns were already in a position where they needed to improve on special teams.
Cleveland added a lot of talent who could come in and shore up the coverage teams. Linebacker Anthony Walker was added in free agency and he will likely be a major contributor on special teams given his experience in this area. In the draft, the Browns added Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Tony Fields, and Richard LeCounte. All three have the athletic profile to be possible contributors on special teams. So, the Browns will have some options to pick from to try and improve these units.
5. Impact of new arrivals on special teams
As I spoke about earlier, the Browns have added a lot of interesting talent who could factor in on special teams. Rookie receiver Anthony Schwartz and rookie running back Demetric Felton are two new options to compete for a returner job in Cleveland. Felton has experience in college, while Schwartz has the world-class speed that would be very enticing for Cleveland to utilize in this job. In terms of coverage teams, the Browns added linebacker Anthony Walker, who has had successful experience on special teams coverage and drafted linebacker/safety Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, linebacker Tony Fields, and safety Richard LeCounte. All three rookies have either experience on special teams or the skill set to translate to that area. Special teams could see a lot of new faces littered throughout the units.
