Cleveland Browns News: Andy Lee Excited For Trade, ‘I’ve Heard So Many Good Things About The City Of Cleveland And The Loyalty And Passion Of The Fans From My Former Teammate Phil Dawson’
The Cleveland Browns improved their special teams Saturday when they traded for Andy Lee. In exchange for Lee, Cleveland sent San Francisco a 2017 draft pick. Lee saw the writing on the wall when the 49ers drafted Bradley Pinion, a punter from Clemson
To make room on the roster for Lee, punter Spencer Lanning was given his release from Cleveland.
The Cleveland Browns have been busy this offseason rebuilding their special teams. Cleveland released long snapper Christian Yount and kicker Garrett Hartley as well this offseason.
Browns general manager Ray Farmer commented about why he wanted Lee.
”We’ve said all along that we are going to be deliberate in our pursuit to acquire talent that we feel can improve our roster. Andy Lee has consistently been a top punter in this league. We are excited to be able to add a punter of his caliber to our team. We wish Spencer the best. He has done a solid job for our team and has also been an outstanding representative for our organization off the field.”
Spencer Lanning took to Twitter today to thank the Cleveland fans.
#CLE Been a hell of a ride. Y’all deserve a championship, hate I won’t be here to experience it. Can’t thank you enough for the memories!
— Spencer Lanning (@LanningSpencer) June 6, 2015
Lanning spent two seasons with the Browns. Last year, Lanning pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line 25 times while averaging 44.3 yards per punt.
With 12 years of experience as an NFL punter, Lee has a total of 941 punts with an average of 46.2 yards. Out of the 941 punts Lee has made, 300 (31.8 percent) of them landed inside the opponents 20-yard line. Lee also has appeared in 176 consecutive games, proving his durability. Due to these stats, Andy Lee went to the Pro Bowl in 2007, 2009 and 2011
Even though the San Fransisco 49ers is the only NFL team he has played for, Lee makes it clear that he is very excited about the trade.
”I’ve heard so many good things about the city of Cleveland and the loyalty and passion of the fans from my former teammate Phil Dawson. I’ve also heard some very positive things about the type of organization and team the Browns are building so my family and I are very much looking forward to becoming a part of it.”
Do you think that Andy Lee will be able to help Cleveland improve on their 7-9 record from last year?
[Image via Christian Petersen / Getty Images]
