Specialists Advantage: Ravens
Yeah, this one is a no-brainer too. Justin Tucker and Sam Koch have both been at the top of their game across the league for quite some time now. Throw in Morgan Cox, the Ravens long snapper since 2010 who has made three Pro Bowls, and it’s an easy decision to make here.
The Browns have the best young core of specialists in the NFL in Austin Seibert and Jamie Gillan. Throw in Charley Hughlett as long snapper, and that’s a pretty good group. However, that’s not good enough to overthrow probably the best group of specialists in the NFL.
Tucker is the best kicker in the game right know. Adam Vinatieri is probably the greatest of all-time, but age has gotten to him this past season. Tucker is still on top of his game and is lights out for field goals. He’s been All-Pro the past two seasons and only missed one field goal and two extra points last season.
If Austin Seibert can be as good as Justin Tucker at any point of his career, then the fifth-round pick the Browns pent on him was well worth it. I would give a late first-round pick to have a kicker of Tucker’s caliber his entire career. Browns fans saw in 2018 how valuable a good kicker can be. If a guy like Tucker was on the Browns in 2018, then they probably would’ve been in the playoffs.
Both of these teams have their special teams units set for a while in terms of the key pieces. The Browns could rock with theirs for the next decade. Koch, at 37-years-old, might be the only piece that changes for the Ravens over the next few seasons, but they’re pretty much set too other than that. There is some great special teams going to be played over the next few seasons by the AFC North.