If you watched the Cleveland Browns kick return units in 2018 and thought the team would be better off just taking a knee in the end zone, you were correct.
Jack Duffin broke the outcomes down for Football Outsiders, and the results confirm those suspicions. The Browns would be better off just downing the ball and taking the touchback to the 25.
In fact, the Browns were one of the least successful teams when choosing to bring the ball out of the end zone. Only one of the eight attempts made it past the 25-yard line.
When the Browns did return kickoffs out of the end zone, they wound up with an average starting field position at their own 21.3. Only 10 teams fared worse, those both Super Bowl participants are in that lowly group.
Leaguewide, just 29 percent of attempts crossed the 25-yard line after penalties were factored in. Miami scored the only touchdown on such a return, while teams turned the ball over three times (twice by Green Bay).
