Cleveland Browns studs and duds from Week 5 loss to the 49ers

Stud: Jamie Gillan

It is never a good sign when the punter is one of the best players from an entire game, but that was the type of performance the Browns had on Monday night. The offense had a lot of issues that have been hindering them early in the season, so Jamie Gillan was on the field often.

Gillan’s leg got a lot of work against the 49ers, kicking seven punts. However, the rookie was as good as he has been to start the season, allowing only one punt return. The one return did gain 32 yards, as Gillan ultimately out-kicked his coverage team.

Besides allowing the one return, Gillan had a strong night. Four of his seven kicks were downed inside the 20-yard line. He averaged 56.7 yards on his punts and his longest punt of the night went for 71 yards.

On multiple occasions, Gillan flipped the field position for the Browns, even though it may not have resulted in stops for the Browns defense. Gillan was backed up into his end zone multiple times, but was able to get his punts away and used his leg to get them on the other side of midfield.

Gillan has played extremely well to start the season and has been a bright spot. Although his punts may not have affected the outcome of Monday night’s game, he ultimately put the defense in better positions than they would have been otherwise.