Mike Priefer did a lot of very good things in his first year as the special teams coordinator for the Cleveland Browns. But one area clearly bugs the veteran coach.
The return game.
Priefer is right about that. The Browns ranked 28th in average starting field position off opposing kickoffs. Return men Dontrell Hilliard, Tavierre Thomas and D’Ernest Johnson all struggled to gain productive returns, with little help from the blocking in front of them either.
“Our return games have to improve immensely. I think we have a long way to go there,” Priefer stated in his press conference this week.
Speaking of Johnson and Hilliard, Priefer had this to say about the kick returners in 2019,
“Our two running backs did a good job last year for us for the most part. Whether we continue to get them developed or we bring in new return man, that remains to be seen, but at the end of the day, we have to improve the return unit, as well.”
Expect competition for the return specialist jobs this offseason, and for ability to block and cover on special teams to play a factor in some backup roster decisions, too.