In their upcoming Thursday night matchup, the Browns could have new faces at both the kicker and punter positions. Cleveland has agreed to a deal with Matt Haack, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports.
Incumbent punter Corey Bojorquez suffered a quad injury during the Browns’ win over the Texans, Garafolo notes. As a result, he joins kicker Dustin Hopkins (who left the game with a hamstring injury) as a Browns specialist in danger of missing the game against the Jets. Cleveland signed kicker Riley Patterson on Sunday to provide insurance against Hopkins being unable to play.
Like the Patterson deal, this Haack agreement is a practice squad signing. The latter has not played this season, having briefly spent the summer with the Cardinals. Arizona released Haack in August, leaving him on the open market until today’s move. The 29-year-old is an experienced mid-season addition, as he has 98 NFL games under his belt.
Haack began his career with the Dolphins, and his play in Miami earned him a three-year deal with the Bills when he reached free agency. He spent only one year in Buffalo, however, after he was released last summer. That quickly led to an agreement with the Colts, and he remained in Indianapolis throughout the season. Haack recorded a personal-best 44.8 yards per punt average in 2022, and his net average (39.6) was an improvement from the previous season’s performance.
Bojorquez has had a strong second season in Cleveland. Having punted a career-high 80 times this campaign, the 27-year-old has posted a 49.5 yard gross average and a 42.0 net average; both figures are the second highest of his career. Missing Bojorquez for any stretch could thus deal a blow to Cleveland’s special teams, but in case he is unable to suit up on Thursday, an experienced option is now in place.