Andre Szmyt #25 and Corey Bojorquez #13 of the Cleveland Browns
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Andre Szmyt #25 and Corey Bojorquez #13 of the Cleveland Browns
One of the disappointments of what was an undeniably brutal 5-12 season for the Cleveland Browns in 2025 was the performance of the special teams, where trouble covering kicks–as well as trouble returning those kicks–cost the Browns at least one game, perhaps more. But that was not the doing of veteran punter Corey Bojorquez, a captain for the Browns last year, who led the NFL in total punts (91) for the second straight year.
Still, there was some contemplation on the part of new special teams coordinator Byron Storer about whether the team would make a change at punter.
But Bojorquez himself broke the news this week on Instagram, announcing that he will, in fact, be coming back with the Browns for what will be his fifth season with the team. Borjoquez posted a photo on Instagram.
As Camryn Justice of WEWS in Cleveland wrote, “PCorey Bojorquez, who was set to enter free agency, posted a photo of Cleveland’s specialists on Instagram: ‘The boys are running it back.’ K Andre Szmyt and LS Rex Sunahara had already been tendered by the team, bringing them back for the 2026 season.”
Corey Bojorquez Had a Down Year in 2025
In all, 2025 was not a great year for Bojorquez, as he averaged 45.8 yards per punt, his fewest in tenure in Cleveland and the lowest he’s had since 2019, his second year in the NFL. His net yards per punt was 37.0, which does rank as the worst of his career in that category, as well as the 25.3% of the punts he landed inside the 20-yard line. That was the worst of his career, too.
But again, some of that was not the fault of Bojorquez–the Browns struggled badly in protection and in coverage. He had two punts blocked for the first time in his career in 2025.
Now, the Browns are expected to focus in on punting. Storer called it the most important aspect of special teams, as he sees it.
“I’d say it all starts with punt. It all starts with punt,” Storer said last week. “And so, it’s really punt protection and punt coverage. That’s where you start. So it’s going to be coverage, but also protection.”
Browns Likely to Add a Punter for Training Camp
Storer also acknowledged that the Browns might enter 2026 with a young punter, and certainly, it is likely that the team will bring in a young punter to give Bojorquez some competition and protect against injury. That probably won’t come in the draft, but will come with a free-agent signing after the draft is complete.
But Storer also said he is a Bojorquez fan, even as the team sizes up other options.
Said Storer: “The thing that I would say is that we’re exploring all options, but I do want to say, though for Corey, that I respect the four years that he’s been here and what he’s done here for the Cleveland Browns. And as I go through this building and I ask people about him, there’s nothing but good things that they’ve said about him. So I really respect the player.”