Phil Dawson, K
It’s easy to write Phil Dawson should return to the Browns. But, really. This guy really needs to return to Cleveland.
And forget all the nostalgic stuff. Yeah, he was a great kicker for a lot of lousy teams, but that’s the past. Right now, the Browns future is Travis Coons, and that’s something Marty McFly and a DeLorean wouldn’t even be able to fix.
Coons can’t kick the long ball. When he does, it’s obvious he alters his trajectory to get the distance. The result? Blocks. Four of them in 2015. One was so bad, it earned the infamous “Kick 6” nickname.
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Dawson may be old, but he wouldn’t be the first kicker to extend his career into his 40s. Plus, he knows how to kick in Cleveland. Kicking in the Factory of Sadness can be tricky, but Dawson thrived.
In his last two years with the 49ers, Dawson was 9-of-12 on kicks from 50-yards (75 percent) or more. He was 11-of-15 (73 percent) on kicks between 40-49 yards during that same time span.
In 2015, Coons was 7-of-9 on kicks between 40-49 yards (78 percent) and 0-2 on kicks of 50 yards or more, The alarming thing here is that he tried just two kicks from 50 yards out. If the Browns don’t have a kicker who can boot it from 50 yards out, they’re leaving points off the board.
If Dawson isn’t the replacement in 2016, it’s likely someone else will be.
Next: C Ben Jones