Browns Claim Kicker Chase McLaughlin Off Jets Waivers, Waive Matthew McCrane

The Cleveland Browns claimed Chase McLaughin off of waivers, which were awarded on Monday. A corresponding move has yet to be announced.

Pete Smith | May 10, 2021

Monday, the Cleveland Browns were awarded kicker Chase McLaughin off of waivers from the New York Jets. They waived fellow kicker Matthew McCrane to get the roster back to 90.

Along with McLaughlin, the Browns also have Cody Parkey. McCrane was on the practice squad with the team last year and was signed to a futures contract in the offseason. He last kicked in a regular season game in 2018 when he split time with three teams including the Pittsburgh Steelers, Las Vegas Raiders and Arizona Cardinals.

McLaughlin has played in the NFL for two seasons and has been on five different teams. In 2019, he appeared in four games with the Indianapolis Colts, four games with the Los Angeles Chargers and three games with the San Francisco 49ers.

In 2020, he appeared in three games with the Jacksonville Jaguars and one with the New York Jets.

In all, he has hit 22 of 28 attempted field goals. Five of his misses are from the 40 to 49 range, where he's 6 of 11. He is four of five from 50+. He's only missed one extra point on 32 attempts, which happened with the Jaguars in 2020.

The Browns were reasonably solid with Cody Parkey in 2020, though he did miss a handful of extra points and had a bad stretch before recovering for the playoffs. Presumably, the attraction with McLaughlin other than a burgeoning jersey collection is that he has a pretty strong leg and is still just 25 years old.

Published May 10, 2021

PETE SMITH