Jamie Gillan: Cleveland Browns name Scottish rookie in 53-man roster
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Scot Jamie Gillan makes incredible 74-yard kick
Scottish rookie Jamie Gillan has been selected in the Cleveland Browns' 53-man roster for the 2019 NFL season.
The punter, 22, spent the off-season with the Browns after being signed as an undrafted free agent.
And after impressing in the Browns' pre-season games, he was preferred to veteran punter Britton Colquitt.
Nicknamed the 'Scottish Hammer', Gillan links up with Odell Beckham Jr as the Browns signed the star wide receiver in the biggest trade of the off-season.
Fellow Briton Christian Wade missed the cut with the Buffalo Bills but the former England rugby international is guaranteed a spot on their practice squad for another year.
Gillan also made the switch from rugby after playing for Highland Rugby Club in his hometown of Inverness and at Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh.
He left for the US in 2014 and received a college scholarship at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, where he played for four years before entering the 2019 NFL draft.
Although Gillan went undrafted, he signed a free-agent contract with the Browns in April, and after handling all of the punting in their last two pre-season games he made the cut for the regular season, along with rookie kicker Austin Seibert.
"We gave those guys those two games to play because we really didn't know how they'd respond under pressure," said the Browns' general manager John Dorsey.
"I thought they did a really nice job of taking on the challenge, accepting it and succeeding at achieving that goal. I think the organisation is excited for the two young men. I think we have complete confidence in their abilities."