AP

The Browns traded Pro Bowl punter Andy Lee to the Panthers for a 2018 fourth-round pick for the same reason they don’t put hood ornaments on Yugos.

But it appears, astonishingly enough, that their decision to stockpile future picks might actually impact the current product.

The Browns had a pair of ugly punts from the two guys on hand, leading coach Hue Jackson to admit the search for a new one could be on soon.

According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Kasey Redfern, the guy the Panthers sent to Cleveland as a makeweight in the Lee deal, “dribbled” a 26-yard punt last night. That must have seemed powerful next to recently signed Mike Palardy’s 14-yard effort (though Palardy also hit a 75-yarder).

“Obviously, it wasn’t up to our standards tonight,” Jackson said. “We need to do a little bit better. We will do whatever we feel that we need to do to shore that up. It wasn’t as good as any of us liked.

“We will do whatever, whether we need to go find another guy or see if there was something within the process of those kicking that was an issue.”

Assuming they go outside the current options, that person will almost certainly make less than the $2.8 million Lee will make this year with the Panthers. Then again, sometimes you get what you pay for.