On Wednesday, after the Cleveland Browns’ second OTA practice that was open to the media, special teams coordinator Byron Storer was asked about who the front-runners are for the punt returner job in 2026.
“Gage Larvadain…he has a full season under his belt, but we also got KC in the draft, so those two guys are 1A, 1B – pick and choose right now. So really punt returner, in my mind, it’s Gage and KC competing for that job.”
Gage Larvadain was a great story last year, going from an undrafted free agent to a roster spot, but he had some issues with fielding and returning punts. During the game vs the 49ers in windy conditions, he muffed three punts, losing one. He also wasn’t able to find much success as a pass catcher on a team that didn’t have a good group of wide receivers.
On the other side, you have KC Concepcion, who is a dynamic playmaker as a returner and a pass catcher, and if Larvadain can’t evolve as a receiver, it doesn’t make sense to give the job to him and roster a return-only player when Concepcion is such a threat as a punt returner himself.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Browns ST coach names two front runners for punt return job
Reporting by Jacob Roach, Browns Wire / Browns Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
