CLEVELAND — When it came time for the Cleveland Browns to cut down their roster ahead of the start of the regular season, one of the biggest surprises came at punter, where the team opted for rookie Jamie Gillan over veteran Britton Colquitt.
It didn't take long, however, for general manager John Dorsey's decision to pay off.
On Wednesday, Gillan was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in the Browns' 23-3 victory over the New York Jets on Monday night. Despite Cleveland posting its largest margin of victory since the 2004 season, Gillan totaled six punts for 231 yards, with five of his punts landing inside the 20-yard line.
Over the course of the game, the Jets returned just one of Gillan's punts for five yards and averaged a starting field position at the 18-yard line.
Through two weeks, Gillan leads the NFL with eight punts landing inside the 20-yard line. Only one of his 11 punts on the season has been returned.
Nicknamed "The Scottish Hammer," Gillan is a native of Scottland who spent his college career at Arkansas Pine-Bluff. After going undrafted in the 2019 NFL Draft, he signed with Cleveland, where an impressive preseason that included a 74-yard punt against the Indianapolis Colts led to him winning the team's starting job.
Gillan is the first Browns player to earn AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors since Denzel Ward did so for Week 5 of the 2018 season.