Getty ImagesThe Browns and Panthers swapped punters Monday.
No, that’s not a misprint.
The Browns traded Andy Lee and a 2017 seventh-round pick to the Panthers for punter Kasey Redfern and a 2018 fourth-round pick.
The trade comes three days after Lee appeared to let up during a punt return touchdown by Adam Humphries of the Buccaneers during last Friday’s preseason game. Browns Coach Hue Jackson got in Lee’s face on the sideline after the touchdown and clearly wasn’t happy that Lee hadn’t done more to at least slow Humphries.
Lee, who was acquired by the Browns in a trade with the 49ers prior to the 2015 season, figures to be the final answer in an ongoing punter competition the Panthers have been holding since the spring. He’s been punting in the NFL since 2004 and set Browns franchise records last season with his 46.7-yard gross average and 40.1-yard net average.
Redfern is a first-year player who’s never punted in an NFL game. He’ll get an extended tryout with the Browns at least through this week.
The sky is falling!
No excuses with Hue. You will be held accountable or given the boot. Finally!
Yea, you want your pro-bowl punter making a pre-season tackle….
“Hey Hue, it’s Ron Rivera, this pre season drags out way too long, I’m bored as hell”
“Ya, I hear ya, how about we do something silly to liven things up”?
SUPERBOWL BABY!!
This seems like a lot for the Panthers to give up, when they could have just paid Brad Nortman less and kept their 4th round pick. Strange, but I guess desperate times call for desperate measures…
Hah hah, Hue isn’t messing around. Andy Lee is one of the better punters in the league and arguably one of the 10 best players on the Browns so consider this message sent.
I’m neither here nor there about the Browns but it’s nice to see some coaches still care about their players giving effort even if it’s “only preseason”. These are the moves a guy makes when he’s serious about changing a team culture that has been broken for a long, long time.
Looks like the Browns really are serious about weeding out the dead weight. Lee thought he had it made and got lazy…
Punters should be abolished from football. Get rid of kicking all together.
That I can’t believe………………..one of the best punters in the NFL…. don’t get it.
What the…The Panthers gave up a fourth round pick…for a PUNTER? Cleveland is going to have like 16-17 picks in 2017, and almost as many in 2018. I guess Hue is sending a message that he doesn’t want loafers on the team…first Kruegger, then Williams, now Lee…They finally may have a coach that won’t deal with BS
Only the Browns would give up a 4th round pick for a PUNTER!
“Only the Browns would give up a 4th round pick for a PUNTER!”
actually…. it was Carolina giving up the 2018 4th rounder….
What I just read was:
“Browns downgrade their punter for a three-round draft pick upgrade.”
4s beat 7s most days. I’ll take that bet.
Isn’t this the second time lee has been traded? That has to be a record for punters
….Andy Lee must think he won the lottery! He must be got be thrilled he didn’t go after the punt returner now…..THANKS for trading me to a super bowl contender coach !!………
The Browns received the same from Carolina than what Oakland received for Randy Moss when they traded him to New England. Insane.
I can’t wait for RGIII to keep screwing up…Hue Jackson…no worries brother…you’re safe.
Good Lord, let’s just throw in the towel on the whole effin’ season. Lee can really kick and heaven knows we could have used him this year.
Panthers got the better part of the deal. Punters are important to the field position part of the game.
….the best way to avoid a mutiny?
Get rid of the troops.
What is Gettleman doing? That’s a high pick to swap for a punter. Good move for Cleveland because that roster needs an enema. You can overhaul a team quickly, but you have to have lots of draft picks to do so, and they do for the next 2 drafts.
It’s frigging preseason and the punter didn’t want to get hurt making a tackle. That makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is trading him, IF that’s the reason.
A punter who won’t tackle in the preseason?? Outrageous! Panther’s are perfect. Cam won’t dive for a fumble either.
It’s like the Browns are an expansion team playing with scabs
I’m not a huge fan of the move, but maybe it pays off. To those of you who say “they should have just paid Nortman” you have to look at how the situation has changed. When they decided not to pay Nortman closed to 4mil per year they had Josh Norman franchised tagged and were still planning on signing Kawaan Short. We all know what’s happened with that, but you can see how those two pieces would take precedent over a punter. Maybe Andy Lee will give us great field position all season and we’ll end up praising the trade, but I certainly wouldn’t draft a punter with a 4th round pick, so I’m feeling pretty skeptical.
Nortman wasn’t all that good – certainly not 2.5M good. Lee is that good. I’m not all that upset about the draft pick we gave up either. I believe we have all of our own 2017 picks, plus the Browns 7th rounder, plus the first 3 rounds in ’18. Assuming we continue to draft well, losing that 4th round pick in ’18 won’t be too harmful.
Hue Jackson is a STAUNCH DISCIPLINARIAN that will lead the Clevelands to glory