Getty With kickers Greg Joseph, right, and Austin Seibert struggling, the Browns could turn to a creative solution.
With Week 1 of the NFL season quickly approaching, the Cleveland Browns appear ready to put the hammer down on their kicking competition — literally.
Punter Jamie Gillan — nicknamed the Scottish Hammer — was seen booming kicks from as far as 60-plus yards during Tuesday’s practice, bringing a new wrinkle into the Browns kicking battle that has seen both incumbent Greg Joseph and rookie Austin Seibert struggle.
60-yd FG for #Browns kicker Jamie Gillan “Scottish Hammer”
It’s uncertain if the Browns would take Gillan seriously in the kicking competition, but head coach Freddie Kitchens made a good point following the practice.
“If he is out there kicking 60 yarders, hell, he may get a chance,” Kitchens said with a laugh.“When all of the guys were coming out, I know we all looked at him as a punter, but things change. It may have changed today. I don’t know. Hopefully they have it on video.”
Kitchens said he didn’t see Gillan’s booming boots during practice, but would review the film.
“I can’t confirm either way. I really can’t,” Kitchens told Cleveland.com. “[The specialists] are over there doing their routine to get loose and stuff like that. I know I have seen him over there get his leg loose by swinging it … to get his hips and legs loose. I do not know if that was the same type of thing.”
Jamie Gillan has History as a Placekicker
Gillian earned his reputation as a powerful specialist at Arkansas Pine-Bluff. His tape from his time with the Golden Lions earned him an undrafted free agent deal with the Browns.
During his college career, Gillan made 38-of-62 of his field goal attempts and his long was 52 yards.
Gillan has already shown off his leg punting the ball, nailing a 74-yard monster against the Colts.
Gillian is a rookie and is competing with veteran Britton Colquitt for the starting gig. Colquitt has been booting the ball for the Browns since 2016.
Consistency has been a problem for Gillian in both kicking and punting.
“Britton is going to be the steady Eddie. He is going to give you the 48 yards, 4.8 hang time, outside the numbers,” Browns special teams coordinator Mike Priefer said. “Jamie is going to wow you. Jamie is the guy that is going to bomb the ball. Unfortunately, the next time he is up there he does not hit one quite as well. He needs to find consistency.”
Browns Have a Good Reason for Not Signing a Kicker
Kitchens has been adamant that the team is not going to sign another kicker to spice the competition up when prodded.
“We’re not trying to bring in a new kicker right now,’’ Kitchens told reporters on Monday. “We’ve got two guys right here that can kick the ball a long way. We need them to get their act right and get the job done.”
But there’s a good reason the Browns wouldn’t want to sign a kicker right now, even if they feel neither Joseph, Seibert or even Gillan for that matter are their man.
During the preseason, each team is carrying at least two kickers — including teams like the Ravens and Colts, who have the spot locked down. Indy has future Hall of Famer Adam Vinatieri, while Baltimore trots out Justin Tucker, arguably the best in the game. That means 60-plus kickers are already on rosters and anybody who’s left on the free agent market is probably not worth a look. If the Browns do decide to bring a new kicker in, expect it to be a veteran that gets cut when rosters go down to 53.
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