The Cleveland Browns will have a new-look special-teams unit for the 2019 season. General manager John Dorsey is confident in the young special-teams tandem of kicker Austin Seibert and punter Jamie Gillan.
“I think the organization is excited for the two young men,” General Manager John Dorsey said per Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com. “I think we have complete confidence in both of their abilities. … I’m happy with where we are in the kicking game.”
The Browns actually used a fifth-round pick to select Seibert out of Oklahoma. In college, the rookie kicker made 63 of his 79 field-goal attempts. He also made 310 of his 315 extra-point attempts at Oklahoma.
As for Gillan—or the “Scottish Hammer” as the team calls him—beat out veteran Britton Colquitt to win the punting job. Gillan spent four seasons at Arkansas-Pine Bluff where he averaged 42.2 yards per punt. Prior to punting, the undrafted rookie actually played rugby in Scotland.
Both Seibert and Gillan impressed throughout the preseason with their efficiency on the field. Seibert made six of his seven field-goal attempts—including a 54-yard bomb in Week 3 of the preseason.
As for Gillan, the strong-legged punter turned heads when he booted a 74-yard punt against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2 of the preseason. Altogether, the Scottish punter averaged 46.4 yards per punt in the four preseason games he played in.
Last season, Cleveland had Greg Joseph as their placekicker for the majority of the season. In 14 games, Joseph made 17 of his 20 field-goal tries. This year, the Browns will be relying on two rookies to perform well for them on special teams.
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