The Cleveland Browns' 2025 roster could be full of surprises. ...
And not necessarily what fans would consider to be good ones.
While most of the league's attention will no doubt be on the quarterback room and who starts under center in Week 1, the Browns have an important special-teams player who has been recognized this offseason.
ESPN's Aaron Schatz has labeled Cleveland punter Corey Bojorquez as the most underrated at his position in the league.
Specialist: Corey Bojorquez, Cleveland Browns
"The Browns punter led the NFL in my gross punting metric last season, which is based on punt distance assuming average returns (adjusted for weather and altitude). Yet, Bojorquez had a negative net value because the Browns' punt coverage team was awful. This wasn't an issue of Bojorquez outkicking his coverage. He was third in the league with 36 punts inside the 20-yard line, but the Browns also allowed three returns of over 50 yards.
"His talent can be seen in his consistency. Last season marked the fourth straight year that Bojorquez ranked in the top 10 for gross punt value. He was ninth in 2023, fifth in 2022 and 10th in 2021."
What qualifies a player as the most underrated? Simply, Schatz explained, "It is someone who is better than the conventional wisdom suggests."
Bojorquez went undrafted in 2018 after spending two years at Cerritos College before transferring to New Mexico for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
He signed with the New England Patriots as a UFDA but didn't make the final 53-man roster. He was claimed off waivers by the Buffalo Bills where he played through the 2020 season.
Bojorquez signed with the Los Angeles Rams in April 2021 before being traded to the Green Bay Packers. He posted an 82-yard punt against the Chicago Bears that season, establishing his career long and the second-longest punt in team history.
The former Lobo signed with the Browns in April 2022 and beat out Joseph Charlton for the starting job. Bojorquez earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 17 after landing two punts inside the 20-yard line with a long of 64 in a 24-10 victory of the Washington Commanders.
In 2024, Bojorquez signed a two-year contract extension with Cleveland and finished the year with 89 punts for a career high 4,387 total yards, including a league-long 84-yarder in Week 4 against the Las Vegas Raiders. He led the league in total punts and total punt yards.
And that's all well and good. So what's the problem? Obviously, a good punter is nice. But a punter who punts so often as to be recognized as unusually valuable?
That's not a good sign for the Cleveland offense ... or for the fans who will be stuck watching it.