There Is a Browns Position Battle Flying Under The Radar

The Cleveland Browns have a legitimate competition brewing at punt returner, and special teams coordinator Byron Storer is not hiding which two players are at the front of the line heading into training camp.

Storer addressed the return game situation and made it clear that the job is wide open between a veteran and a rookie who both bring legitimate credentials to the competition.

“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,” Storer said.

Larvadain has the experience advantage. The 23-year-old receiver appeared in 13 games for the Browns in 2025 and handled punt return duties throughout the season, finishing with 24 returns for 167 yards and a long of 44. The problem is that his 7.0 yards per return average was not good enough, and he compounded the production issues by muffing three punts during the season. Three muffed punts is a number that gets the coaches’ attention in the worst possible way, and it is the primary reason this job is not simply being handed back to him in 2026. He has the reps and the familiarity with the role, but he did not do enough with the opportunity to make this a foregone conclusion.

Concepcion enters the competition as a true freshman in terms of NFL experience but anything but a novice when it comes to returning punts. His final season at Texas A&M was one of the most electric return campaigns in college football, finishing with 25 returns for 456 yards and an outstanding 18.2 yards per attempt with two touchdowns. He opened the year with an 80-yard return touchdown against UTSA and added a 79-yard score against LSU in Death Valley. His career college return numbers show 30 attempts for 501 yards at 16.7 yards per return with two scores. General manager Andrew Berry called him the best punt returner in the entire 2026 draft class, and Storer echoed that sentiment publicly.

Larvadain is fighting for his roster spot and knows it. Concepcion has the talent to make this competition over before training camp ends. Special teams are going to be a lot more interesting in Cleveland in 2026 than they have been in recent years.