Cleveland Browns roster: Final 53-man roster prediction for 2021

Cleveland Browns Specialists (3)

Chase McLaughlin
Jamie Gillan
Charley Hughlett

After moving on from Austin Seibert last season, the Browns went with Cody Parkey and fans had their reservations since he had already been in Cleveland and was passable, but not great. He was also just one year removed from a terrible finish to a one-year stint in Chicago.

But then Parkey made a believer out of the fans when he knocked in 19-of-22 field goals. Sadly, he was lost for the season when he suffered an injury in the preseason and that means Chase McLaughin will handle the job this season — unless he proves incapable that is.

As was the case with Parkey, there’s some uneasiness in the Dawg Pound since McLaughlin has a career percentage of just 78.6 and he’s been on five teams in just two seasons. But the good news is, he’s 4-of-5 in his career from 50-plus yards and 31-of-32 on extra points.

There’s reason to be optimistic about McLaughlin, but there’s also no way to tell anyone they’re being unreal when they are concerned.

At punter, Cleveland will stick with Jamie Gillan who was better as a rookie in 2019 than last season. If he can get back to his rookie form, they will be more than okay at this position.

Lastly, there’s Charley Hughlett ‚— the unsung hero of the Browns special teams unit. Hughlett plays the thankless position of long snapper and he does it without fail.