Tag: Chris Blewitt

Browns release two kickers after drafting Cade York

With York in, both McLaughlin and Blewitt are out as the Browns shuffle their kicker depth chart. Likely another gets added at some point as well:

The Cleveland Browns moved quickly to resolve their logjam at kicker. After using a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft to select LSU’s Cade York, the Browns released both Chase McLaughlin and Chris Blewitt on Monday.

McLaughlin had just re-signed weeks before the NFL draft. Cleveland’s primary kicker all of 2021, McLaughlin struggled mightily during the season. In 16 games, he made just 71.4% of his field goals and missed an extra point.

Amazingly, all six of his misses in 2021 came between 40 and 49 yards but he was a perfect 4 for 4 from 50 yards or longer.

Blewitt did not kick for the team last year.

In York, the Browns hope to finally find their replacement for Phil Dawson. He is the third kicker the team has drafted following in the footsteps of Zane Gonzalez and Austin Seibert.

Neither drafted kicker lasted long with the team.

It is possible Cleveland brings in another kicker to have someone to share the load with York this offseason as well as to have on the practice squad in case of emergency. The options on the free-agent market are quite limited, however.

Joey Slye kicking well for Washington in 2021

Has Joey Slye solidified himself as Washington’s kicker moving forward?

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Dustin Hopkins, Chris Blewitt, Joey Slye, Brian Johnson, Joey Slye.

Washington has used four kickers this season and Slye has twice been the guy.

Slye who kicked at North Stafford High and then Virginia Tech, was back Sunday and had a very good game against the Eagles in a 20-16 loss.

The former Hokie was good on all three of his attempts from 31, 39 and 55 yards. In fact, Slye has successfully converted all nine of his field-goal attempts and eight of nine extra points kicking for Washington.

Slye in 2019 and 2020 kicked all 16 games for …. you guessed it, the Carolina Panthers. He primarily kicked off in 2019 and added extra points and field goals in 2020.

However, Carolina cut Slye in this 2021 preseason (Aug. 28). Nearly a month went by when the Houston Texans added Slye to their roster on Sept. 23. Kicking in the next three games, Slye was successful on four of five field goals and seven of eight extra-point attempts but was waived by the Texans.

Claimed by San Francisco, Slye in three games was good on seven of eight field goals but missed two of four extra points and was subsequently cut by the 49ers on Nov. 2.

Nov. 9, Washington waived Blewitt and picked up Slye. Against Seattle in a home Monday night game, Slye had an extra point blocked, and during the two-point return, pulled a hamstring.

Enter Brian Johnson. Johnson was good on both of his field-goal attempts, including from 48 yards to defeat the Las Vegas Raiders.

Yet, Slye possesses the bigger leg, and Sunday’s 55-yarder to close out the first half was impressive.

Four kickers for an NFL team in one season, means there have been struggles, and close games lost. But Joey Slye is surely building his own confidence and the confidence of his teammates and coaches.

 

Browns kicking job up for grabs between three kickers on roster

The Browns currently have two kickers on the practice squad and one on the COVID list. A kicking competition seems likely in advance of Monday Night Football:

The Cleveland Browns 2021 NFL season is far from settled at this point. While they do not control their own playoff destiny, they could by the time Monday Night Football kicks off. They also could be eliminated from playoff contention by the start of their next game.

It isn’t just the playoffs that are unsettled for the Browns. Their roster has been in constant flux due to injuries, poor performance and COVID-19 protocols. Both COVID and poor performance has directly impacted the team’s specialist.

Jamie Gillan was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list which led to the team signing Dustin Colquitt. Colquitt did such a good job that Gillan was released when he was eligible to come off the COVID list.

Kicker Chase McLaughlin has had his struggles this year as well and was also placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list last week. His replacement came off the team’s practice squad but Chris Naggar missed an extra point early in the team’s loss to the Green Bay Packers.

With McLaughlin still on the COVID list and Naggar’s performance Saturday, the team worked out three kickers Wednesday. They ended up signing Chris Blewitt to their practice squad.

While talking to the media Thursday, head coach Kevin Stefanski hinted at a kicking competition:

With McLaughlin still not able to practice, that competition is between Naggar and Blewitt. If McLaughlin is activated, it is possible that the team releases one of those two from the practice squad. It is also possible, like Gillan, that McLaughlin is released after being activated.

Right now, a lot is up in the air in Cleveland including who will be responsible for kickoffs, extra points and field goals. The Browns have been seeking consistency in that role since Phil Dawson’s time with the team.

Browns sign K Chris Blewitt to practice squad, place QB Nick Mullens on COVID list

After Chris Naggar blew an extra point last week, Chris Blewitt was added to the practice squad this week while Nick Mullens was placed on the COVID-19 list:

With kickerChase McLaughlin on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the Cleveland Browns turned to practice squad kicker Chris Naggar against the Green Bay Packers. The result was not positive as Naggar missed his first extra-point try forcing the team to go for two points after their following touchdown, which also failed.

Naggar did make a 37-yard field goal and an extra point later in the game.

With McLaughlin still on the COVID list, the team announced Wednesday that they added kicker Chris Blewitt to their practice squad. According to the team’s media release, Blewitt has only made two of his five field goal attempts in the NFL while making both of his extra points.

The team tried out kickers Robert Aguayo and Chandler Catanzaro today, along with Blewitt.

A practice squad roster spot was available as the team placed quarterback Nick Mullens on the practice squad/COVID-19 list on Wednesday as well.

Mullens started for Cleveland against the Las Vegas Raiders when both Baker Mayfield and Case Keenum were on the reserve/COVID-19 list. He completed 20 of 30 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown.

Blewitt could be elevated to the Browns active roster in time for Monday Night Football if McLaughlin isn’t available and the new kicker is deemed better than Naggar this week.

Washington signs former Virginia Tech kicker Joey Slye

Joey Slye is Virginia Tech’s all-time leading scorer.

The Chris Blewitt era is over in Washington. On Tuesday, the Washington Football Team released Blewitt after two games with the team and signed former Virginia Tech kicker Joey Slye.

This move is not a surprise as Slye worked out with Washington on Monday and has spent time with two different NFL teams this season as an injury replacement.

Slye was with the Carolina Panthers in training camp before they traded for Ryan Santoso just before final cuts. Carolina released Slye on Aug. 28, and he signed with the Houston Texans’ practice squad on Sept. 7. He was elevated to the main roster on Sept. 11 after an injury to Houston kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn.

He kicked in three games for Houston, making four of his five field-goal attempts and seven of his eight point-after attempts. He was released once Fairbairn was healthy.

Slye signed with the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 5 after an injury to Robbie Gould. He connected on seven of his eight attempts for the 49ers, with a long of 56 yards. Slye did make field goals from 56, 52 and 47 yards out with San Francisco. However, he did miss two PATs.

Blewitt kicked in two games for Washington after the team released longtime kicker Dustin Hopkins. He was two of five on his field-goal attempts, as all three misses were blocked. Before Washington signed Blewitt, he last kicked competitively at Pitt in 2016.

Slye brings more experience to Washington, and he doesn’t have a history of his kicks being blocked.

Slye spent four years at Virginia Tech from 2014-17, where he departed as the school’s all-time leading scorer.

 

Washington tried out four players, including a former Virginia Tech kicker, on Monday

Washington brought in four players for tryouts on Monday, one of which was a kicker — and Virginia Tech’s all-time scoring leader.

Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera said last week his team would not bring in kickers during the bye week to challenge Chris Blewitt after he had two field goals blocked in a Week 8 loss to the Denver Broncos.

However, the bye week is over, and on Monday, Rivera brought in four players for tryouts — one of which was a kicker, per the NFL’s transaction wire.

That kicker is Virginia Tech’s all-time scoring leader, Joey Slye, recently released by the San Francisco 49ers, where he was an injury fill-in for veteran Robbie Gould.

Slye, 25, entered the NFL in 2018 and has spent time with the Giants, Panthers, Texans and 49ers. He experienced his best success in Carolina with the Panthers. We mentioned Slye as a possibility last week when he was released by the 49ers.

Other players who tried out with Washington were linebacker Shareef Miller, defensive end Jason Strowbridge and defensive tackle Chris Slayton.

It will be interesting to see how long Rivera sticks with Blewitt if he continues to struggle.

Ron Rivera says Washington will not bring in competition at kicker during bye week

Ron Rivera says Washington will not bring any competition in for Chris Blewitt during the bye week.

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Washington coach Ron Rivera met with the media on Monday after Washington’s latest loss to the Denver Broncos. A hot topic was Washington kicker Chris Blewitt, who had two kicks blocked on Sunday after having one blocked in his NFL debut last week.

When asked if Blewitt would remain as Washington’s kicker, Rivera offered this response:

“For now,” Rivera said, per Scott Abraham of ABC 7 in Washington, D.C.

On Tuesday, Rivera made his weekly appearance on the “The Sports Junkies” on 106.7 The Fan in D.C., and said he would not be bringing in any competition for Washington’s kicker during the bye week.

Washington is off in Week 9 before hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10.

I wouldn’t put too much stock in Rivera’s quote right now. While Washington is on bye this week, that doesn’t mean the team won’t bring in kickers next week. Rivera know he blew it with this move, and Washington has a razor-thin margin for error.

Perhaps the head coach is willing to give Blewitt another game. Who knows, maybe Rivera keeps the kicker all season. After all, Rivera has stated how hard it is to find a reliable kicker, a point he raised when before Washington released longtime kicker Dustin Hopkins.

Another situation to monitor is the status of kicker Joey Slye. The 49ers released Slye on Tuesday when veteran Robbie Gould returned. The 25-year-old Slye kicked for Rivera with the Panthers in 2019, and had an up-and-down season. However, since that time, Slye has kicked for the Texans and 49ers.

While Slye may not be the final solution, he has kicked in the NFL, with success, and he doesn’t have 60% of his kicks blocked.

It will be interesting to see how Rivera handles the kicking situation over the next several weeks.

 

Washington’s kicker Chris Blewitt had his first NFL FG attempt blocked and fans had jokes

Washington’s new kicker got off to a rough start Sunday.

Earlier this week the Washington Football Team made the decision to release veteran kicker Dustin Hopkins and replace him with an untested kicker named Chris Blewitt.

Yes, his last name sounds exactly as it is spelled.

The move to Blewitt was a wild one because he had never attempted a FG in the NFL before Sunday’s game and the last time he played was back in 2016 when he was in college at Pitt.

So how are things going for Washington and its new kicker? Not great. Blewitt ran onto Lambeau Field in the second quarter to attempt a short kick against the Packers on Sunday and it was blocked.

I’m sure Blewitt has heard all the jokes before and he deserves all the respect for getting to the NFL level.

But yeah, Twitter had jokes:

Washington releases kicker Dustin Hopkins

Dustin Hopkins had been Washington’s kicker since 2015.

The Washington Football Team released longtime kicker Dustin Hopkins on Wednesday. To replace Hopkins, Washington promoted Chris Blewitt from the practice squad. Washington had signed Blewitt to the practice squad on Tuesday for the second time this season.

Hopkins, 31, signed with Washington all the way back in 2015. Hopkins has made 84% of his career field goals, connecting on 163 of 194 field-goal attempts. Hopkins has made 179 of 190 career point-after attempts but did miss two in one game this season.

If you look at some of the top scoring kickers in the NFL in 2021, Hopkins’ numbers don’t look bad in comparison. Hopkins has missed just two field-goal attempts this season, but, like anything, it requires context.

In Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs, Hopkins made two of his three attempts. However, when Washington still led 13-10 in the third quarter, Hopkins missed from 42 yards out and Washington would not score again.

While Washington’s issues on either side of the ball aren’t the fault of Hopkins, some of his misses came at the most inopportune time.

In Washington’s Week 2 win over the Giants, Hopkins missed the game-winning field goal, however, a New York defender was offside, giving Hopkins another chance — and he won the game.

Cutting Hopkins isn’t going to magically fix Washington’s myriad of issues. There are bigger problems on both sides of the ball. But when head coach Ron Rivera went for it on fourth down in a Week 5 loss to the Saints in a close game instead of kicking a field goal within Hopkins’ range, it showed his lack of faith in the kicker.

Blewitt left Pitt as the school’s all-time kick scoring leader after the 2016 season. He has spent some time with the Bears and tried out for other teams. He has yet to kick in an NFL game. He is a native of Alexandria, Virginia.

 

Washington makes practice squad moves on Tuesday

Chris Blewitt is back.

The Washington Football Team brought in three kickers for a workout on Tuesday. Lirim Hajrullahu, Sam Sloman and Chris Blewitt all kicked for Washington on Tuesday. Blewitt is the familiar name, as he was signed to the practice squad earlier this month, only to be released last week.

Now, Blewitt is back on Washington’s practice squad, according to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network.

So, nothing changes for Washington’s kicker Dustin Hopkins, as this is the third time Washington has placed a kicker on the practice squad this season.

Washington also added linebacker De’Jon Harris to the practice squad on Tuesday. Harris, 24, entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the New England Patriots in 2020. The Patriots waived Harris in final roster cuts, and he landed with the Packers, where he spent the 2020 season.

The Packers released Harris on Aug. 31.

Harris spent most of the season on Green Bay’s practice squad in 2020, appearing in two games for the Packers, and did not record any stats.

He is a former college teammate of Washington safety Kamren Curl at Arkansas.