5 Looming decisions for Cleveland Browns ahead of 2019 season

4. Special Teams decisions

The Browns had some woes in the kicking game early in 2018 as Zane Gonzalez had his share of misfires in Week 1 and 2. After missing a couple of kicks (and extra points) that could have sealed a road win against the New Orleans Saints, he was let go. Cleveland then brought in Greg Joseph, who was much better — even if he had some wobbly kicks that barely squeaked through.

In all, Joseph was 17-of-20 on field goals and 25-of-29 on extra points. Clearly not confident in him as the lone option in 2019, Cleveland drafted Oklahoma’s Austin Seibert in the fifth round. Considering they used a fifth-round pick on his services, it would seem likely he would be given the job.

However, that might not be such an easy decision. Since training camp started, Seibert has been struggling to make his kicks — whereas Joseph has been solid. The second-year player is thoroughly outplaying Seibert but will that be enough? It’s hard to use a draft pick on a kicker and not keep them around, but if Joseph continues to outplay him, they may have to.

On the other side of the kicking game, there’s another decision to make. Veteran Britton Colquitt is as steady as they come, but he’s also set to make roughly $2.7 million — and according to Over The Cap, the Browns can move on with no dead money should they decide to go with rookie Jamie Gillan.

That decision goes beyond just punting the ball though. Gillan, who also handled field goals at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, has never held for a kicker, which is part of the job requirement for Cleveland’s punter. He’s been working on it in practice and is improving, but they know Colquitt can handle it without any hiccups.

With hopes so high this season, the Browns can’t afford to make a mistake in either one of these decisions. Special teams have doomed them in the past, and it needs to be solidified in 2019 or it could do so again.