BEREA, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – If the Browns have one area of concern entering the 2021 season it’s at kicker.
Chase McLaughlin is a relatively unknown quantity, which for a Super Bowl contender might not be the best thing considering key games could come down to making a kick.
McLaughlin “won” the Browns kicking job after incumbent Cody Parkey suffered a quadriceps injury while warming up prior to their preseason game against the New York Giants on August 15, landing him on injured reserve and ending his tenure in Cleveland.
“He’s had a good camp,” Browns special teams coordinator Mike Priefer said of McLaughlin. “I think he’s a solid young kicker that’s bounced around the league a little bit as kind of a fill-in for guys when they were hurt. Now he’s had his opportunity. Some people say it might by default, but I think he was well on his way to winning that job, anyway.
“I think he’s done enough to win the job, now he’s got to keep getting better every week, he’s got to make the kicks when we need him to make ‘em and kick off well.”
The Browns are McLaughlin’s sixth team in three years.
In 2019 he bounced between the Colts, Chargers and 49ers and last season the Jaguars and Jets.
In 15 games, McLaughlin has made 22 of 28 field goals and 31 of 32 PATs. He’s a perfect 23 of 23 inside 40 but beyond 40 he’s 10 of 16 with his career long coming from 52 yards.
During the preseason, McLaughlin made 7 of his 9 kick attempts but he missed a pair in the preseason finale at Atlanta – a 57 yarder right before halftime and then hooked a PAT a mile wide right in the fourth quarter.
“It was almost like the game was over, he lost focus,” Priefer said when asked about the missed PAT. “As I told him, I don’t care if it’s a preseason game, a playoff game, it doesn’t matter, anywhere in between. If you’re a kicker or a punter, you’re punting for your job or you’re kicking for your job every single rep. I think he understands that, he’s a young guy, he made a mistake. It was a good snap, good hold and he should have made it.”
From Priefer’s perspective, the miss from 57 wasn’t on McLaughlin, and let’s be honest, it was a gamble to begin with.
“He it pretty good,” Priefer said. “We were a little bit off, the laces were a little bit off. [Holder] Jamie [Gillan] did a great job of turning them and Chase gave it a ride.
“When you attempt anything over 55, it’s got to be a near-perfect operation and it wasn’t. I think we needed to be if we’re going to make that kick.”
McLaughlin’s leg strength is a non-issue for Priefer.
“I think he’s got plenty of leg strength for that kick,” Priefer said.
Last year the Browns elevated Parkey after cutting Austin Seibert one week into the season begging the question, is McLaughlin on a week-by-week trial?
“I don’t think so,” Priefer said. “We expect Chase to be very successful. Last year, like I said before, our kicker had a very poor camp, so Week 1 was kind of the final straw type thing. I think Chase has had a good camp. I hope we’re not going to pull the trigger. I hope he goes out and kicks well and he’s our kicker for the entire year.”