Punter and holder Jamie Gillan was placed on the COVID list, making two aspects of the Browns' kicking game sketchy for the game against the Ravens. (Getty Images)
Browns looking for punter/holder as Jamie Gillan placed on COVID list
You must have an active subscription to read this story.
Click Here to subscribe Now!
Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Takeaways from Browns practice and interviews …
Thought the pandemic was done affecting the NFL playoff races? Not a chance.
The Browns were searching for an emergency punter and holder on Wednesday because Jamie Gillan landed on the COVID-reserve list after testing positive.
Linebacker Anthony Walker also was placed on COVID-reserve. But defensive coordinator Joe Woods has an able replacement in veteran Malcolm Smith and there’s a slim chance Jacob Phillips could be activated to add to the linebacker corps.
There is no backup punter.
Kicker Chase McLaughlin would be the emergency punter if Gillan were injured during a game, but he’s not going to handle both duties heading into a game.
Further, Gillan’s dual role as holder on place-kicks looms large when you consider the Ravens play a lot of close games – they’re 4-1 in games decided by 3 points or less – and their kicking game is the best in the NFL.
“It’s been an interesting day so far,” special teams coordinator Mike Priefer sighed at his weekly media session prior to practice.
Priefer said GM Andrew Berry and his personnel staff were hoping to find a veteran punter with holding experience, preferably in cold weather. Priefer said he didn’t anticipate holding a tryout if they find the right veteran.
One logical possibility would be former Browns punter Britton Colquitt, who was cut by the Vikings in September. Colquitt punted for the Browns from 2016 through 2018, averaging 46.1 yards gross on 246 punts. He also served as holder in that time.
The Browns’ backup holder is backup quarterback Case Keenum. Priefer said he prefers having a punter double as the place-kick holder as long as he has experience doing it.
Earlier this week, long snapper Charley Hughlett passed through COVID protocols and was reactivated.
Any disruption in the snap-hold-placement sequence could be unsettling to McLaughlin, who has had three field-goal misses and one PAT blocked in his last three games. Against Baltimore two weeks ago, McLaughlin missed one field goal from 46 yards and bounced one through from the same distance after it caromed off the left post.
“He’s still young,” Priefer said. “This is really his first full year as a starter. I’m not making excuses for him, but he’s got to continue to get better. He has to make those kicks for us. That’s one of our keys to victory this week … make all our kicks. Because they’re not going to miss any. We have to make ours.”
This is Gillan’s second bout with COVID in two years. He was on the COVID list in training camp in 2020.
Gillan ranked 23rd in punting this year with a 43.9 gross average.
“He’s been inconsistent, but we were hoping the last five games down the stretch here to help us make the playoffs that he would come through for is, and maybe he’ll be back,” Priefer said. “So we have to see what happens.”
Keep punching
One benefit of the Browns being able to scout the Ravens-Steelers game on a bye week was seeing the Steelers chip away at the Ravens’ No. 1-ranked rushing defense. Pittsburgh rushed for only 85 yards and a 3.4 average, but mashed out 35 yards on the ground on the winning touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.
“Yeah, they did a good job, especially in the fourth quarter,” said guard Joel Bitonio. “They were OK with the 2- and 3-yard runs early in the game and then they broke a couple late in the game. It wasn’t pretty, but they did have some body punches and they ran the ball a bunch of times. It was really gritty by them and they fought for that. We saw that and noticed that. It’s something we’re going to try to figure out ourselves.”
By contrast, of course, the Browns didn’t have the same commitment the week before and rushed Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt only 15 times for 36 yards.
“Yeah, I mean, you look at our last game and we probably had less than 20 yards the first half and hadn’t move the ball real well,” Bitonio said. “And you look at a team like the Ravens, they’re kind of banged up in the secondary and we want to make those pass plays, those big chunk plays. It wasn’t really working for us.
“I can’t blame coach for not running the ball 40 times last game. We were getting 2 yards a carry. We have to be better. But it is hard to stay committed to it when it’s not working. There is something to be said about body blows and finishing a game, but when you’re not getting first downs, you have to try to find a way to get those first downs.”
Not in cards?
Despite shortages at tight end and wide receiver, the concept of having a dream backfield of Chubb and Hunt on the field together doesn’t appear to appeal to the coaches.
“You can [do it],” said offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. “Obviously, we can do anything in the system. It has the ability to do that. I think we feel real comfortable using those guys as the one-two punch, keeping both those guys fresh throughout the game so we have strong runners in the fourth quarter.
“I don’t really think there’s many negatives [to using them together]. I think it’s just the way we’ve played here the last year and a half. We feel good about having both those guys splitting reps and being fresh through the course of the game, and the season, for that matter.”
Brownie bits
It’s been a month since Jarvis Landry has met with media, coinciding with the release of good friend Odell Beckham Jr. Van Pelt was asked if he thought Landry’s morale was down because of the separation. “No, I don’t,” he said. “I see the same Juice as I saw [before]. Obviously, the week it went down was a little different for him, I’m sure. But he’s still the same pro that we saw the last two years.”
