Cleveland Browns special teams enter Week 1 with nowhere to hide. Byron Storer’s first game as an NFL coordinator brings a brutal assignment: contain Parker Washington, match Cam Little’s historic range and avoid getting buried by Logan Cooke’s precision.
Jacksonville spent last season rewriting the record book. Washington scored twice on punt returns. Little shattered Justin Tucker’s all-time NFL distance mark. Cooke kept dropping footballs near the goal line.
Cleveland spent much of that same year cleaning up mistakes. A missed block helped Baltimore smother a punt. Cincinnati ripped off a 23-yard return. Rookie kicker Andre Szmyt missed two costly kicks in a one-point loss before steadying himself.
Now the Browns must show those breakdowns belonged to the old operation. Todd Monken replaced Kevin Stefanski as head coach in January 2026, then hired Storer to rebuild the third phase. That change gives Cleveland Browns special teams a new voice, but Jacksonville will test every part of the overhaul immediately.
Jacksonville Has Three Ways to Steal the Field
Jacksonville’s danger starts with Washington. He does not need a perfectly blocked return or several yards of open grass. One defender losing leverage can give him everything.
Parker Washington returned 25 punts for 341 yards and two touchdowns in 2025. His 13.6-yard average set a Jaguars single-season record. More tellingly, both touchdowns arrived on plays that looked manageable until he broke the coverage unit’s structure.
Against San Francisco, Washington fielded the ball, accelerated through the first wave and raced 87 yards for a score. Weeks later in Houston, he took another punt 73 yards to the end zone. The Texans appeared to have him contained before one cut changed the angle of every pursuing defender.
His speed creates a difficult choice for punters. Kick toward the middle, and Washington gains space to manipulate coverage. Aim too aggressively for the sideline, and a mishit can travel only 30 yards.
Cleveland cannot simply punt away from him all afternoon. Jacksonville’s field position would improve without Washington touching the ball. Bojorquez must instead place punts near the boundary while maintaining enough hang time for his gunners to arrive.
Cam Little Turns Midfield Into Scoring Range
Little presents a different problem. His range changes where Jacksonville considers a possession successful. The NFL record belonged to Justin Tucker, who made a 66-yard field goal for Baltimore in 2021. Little cleared that mark twice in 2025. His 68-yarder established the new league record, while his 67-yard kick also surpassed Tucker’s previous standard.
Those were not isolated swings from a reckless young kicker. Little scored a franchise-record 140 points and made eight field goals from at least 50 yards. By December, Jacksonville could cross midfield and begin thinking about points. That reach changes fourth-down football. A third-and-long near Cleveland’s 49 no longer guarantees a punt. Even a short completion can move Little within range.
Cooke completes the group. He averaged 48 yards per punt in 2025 and placed at least 10 punts inside the 10 for a fourth straight season. His placement forces returners to make uncomfortable decisions while moving backward.
Jacksonville also surrounds him with an established operation. Long snapper Ross Matiscik earned his third consecutive Pro Bowl selection and another Associated Press All-Pro honor. Coordinator Heath Farwell has spent years developing the unit rather than rebuilding it.
Together, Washington, Little and Cooke can alter all three types of possession. One creates instant points. Another converts field position into scoring range. The third leaves opponents staring at 90 yards of grass. Cleveland Browns special teams will not find a weak link among them.
Cleveland’s Counter Starts With Corey Bojorquez
If Cleveland has one proven answer, it starts with Bojorquez and his left foot. Corey Bojorquez led the NFL with 91 punts for 4,165 yards last season. He owns Browns records for gross average, net average and punts inside the 20. His unusual spin also gives returners something different to judge as the ball descends.
Distance will matter less than location against Washington. Bojorquez needs to drive the ball high and outside, forcing Jacksonville’s returner toward the sideline. Coverage players can then use the boundary as another defender. That approach worked in Jacksonville two years ago.
During Cleveland’s 18-13 victory in September 2024, Bojorquez placed three fourth-quarter punts inside the Jaguars’ 10. His best attempt hit near the goal line and checked backward, settling at the 2. Cleveland’s defense recorded a safety on the next play. Bojorquez’s precision did not just bail out the defense. It directly set up points.
The Browns cannot expect every punt to stop perfectly. Their coverage personnel must finish the job. Jacksonville will study how Cleveland handled its landmarks last season and target anyone who hesitates.
Baltimore found such a weakness in Week 2. Ronnie Hickman missed his protection assignment, allowing the Ravens to block Bojorquez’s punt and recover at Cleveland’s 14. Baltimore scored three plays later.
One week earlier, Cincinnati’s Charlie Jones returned a 55-yard Bojorquez punt for 23 yards. Jones caught the ball near the sideline, slipped the first wave and handed the Bengals better starting position. Neither play required a complicated diagnosis. Cleveland lost individual assignments.
Storer must eliminate those failures before worrying about trick plays or designed pressure. His punt team needs firm interior protection. The gunners must stay outside Washington’s hips. Tacklers must break down instead of launching at the first flash of teal.
Andre Szmyt Must Hold Up His End
Szmyt gives Cleveland another possible counter. His rookie season began badly, but it did not stay there. Against Cincinnati, Szmyt pushed an extra point wide after a Cedric Tillman touchdown. Later, with Cleveland trailing 17-16, he missed a 36-yard field goal that would have put the Browns ahead with 2:25 remaining.
The response revealed more than the misses. Two weeks later, Szmyt drilled a 55-yarder as time expired to beat Green Bay, setting a Browns record for the longest walk-off field goal. He finished the season with 24 of 27 on field goals and 25 of 26 on extra points. Little still owns the larger range. Szmyt does not need to match him from 68 yards. Cleveland needs him to punish Jacksonville whenever the offense crosses the 35.
That exchange could decide the afternoon. If Little converts from 55 while Szmyt misses from 43, Jacksonville gains more than three points. It gains freedom in every later fourth-down decision. Cleveland Browns special teams must keep that gap from appearing.
Byron Storer Gets No Grace Period
Storer brings 12 years of NFL coaching experience, but Jacksonville marks his first regular-season game as the man making the final call.
He spent the previous four seasons assisting Rich Bisaccia in Green Bay after earlier stops with Tampa Bay and Las Vegas. During his Raiders tenure, punter AJ Cole led the NFL with a 50-yard average. Daniel Carlson scored a franchise-record 150 points in that same 2021 season. Those results explain the hire. They do not guarantee an immediate repair.
Storer inherited a unit that allowed individual mistakes to become scoring opportunities. Hickman’s missed block gave Baltimore the ball at Cleveland’s 14. Poor coverage repeatedly erased the field position Bojorquez had created.
The new personnel offers more flexibility. Tylan Wallace brings extensive coverage experience and once returned a punt 76 yards for an overtime touchdown in Baltimore. Malachi Corley enters the opener as Cleveland’s primary kick returner, while Isaiah Bond leads the punt-return depth chart. Their instructions should remain simple. Secure the football. Take the available yards. Do not turn Cooke’s well-placed punts into even worse field position.
Coverage requires the same discipline. Washington wants the first defender to overcommit, creating a cutback lane behind him. Cleveland’s gunners must keep outside leverage and force him toward help.
Monken chose Storer because the previous operation had become unreliable. The new coordinator does not need to unveil something revolutionary in Jacksonville. He needs 11 players completing their assignments on the same snap.
What Sunday Will Reveal About Cleveland
Week 1 will not settle Storer’s reputation. It will show whether Cleveland has changed its habits. The Browns do not need a return touchdown to win this matchup. They need Washington catching punts near the boundary with defenders closing around him. They need Bojorquez turning short fields into long ones. Szmyt must convert the chances Monken’s offense gives him.
Cleveland cannot hand Jacksonville cheap points, especially while Monken’s rebuilt offense searches for early rhythm. Deshaun Watson enters the season rebuilding confidence after his Achilles injury, and sustained drives may not come easily against Jacksonville’s defense.
Clean special teams can ease that burden. A 48-yard Bojorquez punt with no return could save 15 hidden yards. Bond gaining eight instead of making a fair catch could remove one first down from the offense’s workload. Szmyt hitting from 50 could turn a stalled possession into something useful.
Those plays rarely dominate postgame discussion unless they go wrong. Coaches feel their effect on every call. Jacksonville understands that advantage. Its specialists helped a 13-4 team control games even when the offense lost rhythm. Little stretched scoring range, Cooke squeezed opponents against their goal line and Washington turned routine punts into emergencies.
Cleveland Browns special teams do not need to overpower that trio. They need to prevent Jacksonville from owning the afternoon. If Cleveland handles those moments, its rebuilt special teams can give Monken the stable foundation he needs. If the old mistakes return, Washington and Little have enough talent to expose them before the Browns ever get comfortable.
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FAQ’s
Who is the new special teams coordinator for the Cleveland Browns?
Byron Storer took over as the special teams coordinator in January 2026. He brings 12 years of NFL coaching experience to the role.
What makes Jacksonville’s Cam Little a major threat?
Cam Little set a new NFL record with a 68-yard field goal last season. He also scored 140 points and made eight kicks from 50 yards or more.
How did Corey Bojorquez perform for Cleveland last year?
Corey Bojorquez led the NFL with 91 punts and 4,165 yards. He holds multiple franchise records for punting average and net precision.
Why is Parker Washington dangerous on special teams?
Parker Washington set a Jaguars record with a 13.6-yard punt return average. He also scored two long touchdowns last season.
