Browns place kicker Cody Parkey on I.R.

Parkey heading to I.R. means that Chase McLaughin has won the kicking competition, at least for now

The kicking competition in Browns training camp has come to an unfortunate ending for Cody Parkey. Last year’s kicker in Cleveland has been placed on injured reserve with a quadriceps injury.

Because he’s heading to I.R. before the final 53-man roster is set, Parkey cannot return to the Browns active roster in 2021. He could accept an injury settlement and join another team later in the year, but his season in Cleveland is over.

Parkey nailed 19 of his 22 field goal attempts in 2020, with a long of 46 yards. He did miss four extra points, one of the worst figures in the league.

As a result of Parkey’s injury, Chase McLaughlin wins the placekicking job by default, at least for now. Coach Kevin Stefanski did not explicitly commit to McLaughlin, but he’s the only kicker on the roster. McLaughlin has made 22 of 28 career field goal attempts while playing for five different NFL teams in the last two seasons.