The Browns special teams taught us these 3 things this season: Ashley Bastock
The Browns entered 2023 with a reinvigorated special teams unit, and their on-field results reflected that.
Of course, Dustin Hopkins was the most well-known member of the unit, having made numerous career kicks and hitting four game-winners.
However, Hopkins’ production and the unit as a whole have more to offer than meets the eye.
Here are three takeaways from the Browns’ special teams in 2023:
On August 28, the Browns acquired Hopkins in a trade after the nine-year veteran lost the Chargers’ kicking duel to Cameron Dicker, a good player who was also the younger and less expensive choice for L.A. Cade York’s stint in Cleveland came to an end with this trade, a year after the Browns chose him in the fourth round.
Hopkins was one of the top kickers in the NFL this season, going 8 for 8 on kicks beyond 50 yards and nailing four game-winners. He also set a Browns record with 33 field goals in 36 attempts and 24 of 26 extra points. Unfortunately for the Browns, Hopkins injured his hamstring in Week 16 against the Texans, forcing him to miss the team’s last three games, including the wild card matchup against Houston.
But for the majority of the season, Hopkins was as reliable as they come. After years of volatility at the kicker position following Phil Dawson’s departure, it appears like the Browns have finally found an answer.
Bojorquez finished the season with the fifth-highest Pro Football Focus punting grade, 79.0. He had 35 punts inside the 20, ranking eighth in the league, and his longest punt was 73 yards.
He, along with the defense, contributed significantly to the Browns’ dominance of field position for the majority of the season.
“He makes it difficult on returners for sure,” Ventrone remarked of Bojorquez last month. “It’s difficult to catch a lefty like him.” He can absolutely put the ball in play. He can also get it up and elevate the ball quite well, and he’s been a terrific player for us right now, and he’s still learning and understanding how we want him to play the game, as well as his plus-50 ball. So thrilled about how he’s progressed and given our unit and team, I would say, an advantage in terms of field control.”
Yes, he helped bring out the best in Bojorquez and Hopkins, the latter of whom had only made 15 of 30 50-yard kicks in his career before joining Cleveland.
He also had valuable assistance from veterans such as Mike Ford Jr. and Matthew Adams, who came in and produced significant tackles and stops.
In Rick Gosselin’s 2023 special teams rankings, the gold standard for the measure, the Browns finished 11th. In 2022, they ended 18th, while in 2021, they placed 30th. According to those rankings, they lead the league in opponent field goal percentage (70.8%) and blocked kicks (3).
Ventrone was not afraid to get inventive, such as sending Myles Garrett flying over the Colts’ offensive line to prevent one of Gay’s field goal attempts.
He overcame multiple hurdles, including the team’s addition of a new kicker in August, being without both a kicker and a punter due to injuries in the last weeks of the regular season, and losing a top returner, Jakeem Grant Sr., to a season-ending Achilles injury in training camp.
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