Tag: Dustin Hopkins

Browns provide clarity at kicker after Dustin Hopkins’ tough stretch

Expect Dustin Hopkins to be a healthy scratch tomorrow.

The Cleveland Browns find themselves in a pickle with kicker Dustin Hopkins but may have worked out a temporary solution with just one month left in their disappointing 2024 campaign.

Despite receiving a new contract extension this offseason, Hopkins has regressed into the worst kicker in the NFL this season. After missing five of his last seven kicks in the last four weeks, the Browns decided to sign Riley Patterson to the practice squad and elevate him for their Week 15 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Patterson joined the Browns down the stretch last season too when Hopkins went down with a hamstring injury.

The Browns would not elevate Patterson without another intention in mind. Cutting Hopkins, given his contract constraints, is not an option. However, making him a healthy scratch over the last four games before finding a way to dump his salary in the offseason is.

With the elevation of Patterson, look for Hopkins to be among the players the Browns list as inactive when they take on the Chiefs at Huntington Bank Field on Sunday. Expect Patterson to kick.

Cutting Dustin Hopkins isn’t as easy as it sounds

After inking their kicker to a new contract this offseason, he has become very difficult to cut.

The Cleveland Browns have a big problem with kicker Dustin Hopkins.

And it’s an unexpected problem as well, coming fresh off of the best season a kicker has ever had in Browns franchise history in 2023. However, this season has been nothing short of a disaster for Hopkins after a career year.

This year, however, Hopkins is making kicks at an NFL-low rate of just 64 percent. He missed two against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, he missed one against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football in Week 13, and all-in-all has missed a whopping nine kicks and two extra points on the year.

To make matters worse, the Browns just handed him a new three-year contract worth over $15 million before the start of the season.

That makes it incredibly difficult for the Browns to do anything but ride it out with Hopkins at least through the rest of the 2024 season.

What the books would look like for the Browns to cut Dustin Hopkins

To cut him after the season as a post-June 1 release, the Browns would eat over $3.5 million in dead money to do so. The other problem is that teams can only designate two players as Post-June 1 releases, and the void years of Jedrick Wills are a priority in that regard. Safety Juan Thornhill and offensive tackle Jack Conklin are other candidates as well.

This means that if the Browns want to cut Hopkins, they would likely have to instead eat over $5.6 million in dead money while also receiving a cap penalty of $2.7 million (all numbers according to Over the Cap).

Could the Browns trade Dustin Hopkins instead?

The only other solution would be to work an NBA-style salary dump trade where the Browns might be able to trade Hopkins and a superior draft asset to a team with a lot of cap space for a worse draft asset in return. The Browns did this on a larger scale when they took on the contract of quarterback Brock Osweiler in exchange for a second round pick.

If the Browns were able to trade him this offseason in a salary dump-type move, they would only have to eat $2.8 million in dead cap in 2025 if done before June 1. If done after June 1, the Browns would just have to eat $718,000 of dead cap each year over the next four years while seeing significant savings against the cap.

Regardless, this is way too many financial hurdles to have to work through for a kicker. But it’s a situation the Browns find themselves in with Hopkins.

Stefanski stands by his kicker in post-game press conference

The Browns are not moving on from Dustin Hopkins

Following the loss to the Steelers on Sunday, Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski assured the job safety of kicker Dustin Hopkins.

The Browns suffered a frustrating defeat in Week 14. The biggest factor in the loss was promising scoring drives that resulted in zero points. Kicker Dustin Hopkins was blamed for both of his missed field goal attempts this afternoon. The field goal attempts were from 43 and 38 yards away, well within Hopkins’ range.

His unfortunate slump didn’t just start today; he has made only three of his last nine field goal attempts in the Browns’ previous five games. Despite this, Stefanski took the podium to reassure Dustin Hopkins about his job security.

The Cleveland Browns are now in a rough state of affairs, facing a 3-10 overall record. Even though it is disappointing to see Hopkins perform this way after an off-season extension, the team is not a kicker away from being contenders.

Trying to let Hopkins work out his troubles and find his groove again is almost all the team can do in their current situation.

Browns still without four key players with Cowboys just six days away

The Browns are still without key starters just six days before their season opener.

As the Cleveland Browns get set to take on the Dallas Cowboys in their Week 1 matchup, they were without a handful of starters in practice on Monday. This included left tackle Jedrick Wills and kicker Dustin Hopkins.

Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported the following players are not practicing Monday for the Browns in addition to Wills and Hopkins: wide receiver David Bell and defensive tackle Shelby Harris.

As Wills continues his recovery from a knee procedure, Jack Conklin will likely see some work at left tackle in his absence in preparation for Week 1 against Dallas.

Although Hopkins didn’t practice today, Kevin Stefanski mentioned he “will be fine” according to ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi. Hopkins was active in the preseason and remains the only kicker on the roster or practice squad at the moment, so he should be expected to suit up until further notice.

In other good news, Cay Kabot added defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson, and linebacker Nathaniel Watson returned to practice Monday. Jefferson signed a one-year deal with the Browns in free agency and will likely be the starting three-technique alongside Dalvin Tomlinson.

Kicker Dustin Hopkins excited to be in Cleveland with Browns long-term

Hopkins is happy to stick in Cleveland

It didn’t take Browns general manager Andrew Berry to admit his mistake after taking Cade York in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft. York had the leg talent to get it done, but he couldn’t figure out the mental aspect and just wasn’t good enough for a playoff-contending team.

Berry then traded for a proven veteran in Dustin Hopkins. Hopkins had one of the best seasons of his career and was critical to the team’s run last year. Early this week, the team made him one of the highest-paid kickers in the league.

Hopkins spoke about staying long-term and how he loves the people in Cleveland, not just in the building but in the city, too.

“I had a whole new feeling pulling in as far as the familiarity from being here last year, but also a place that is like, ‘Hey, this is this is going to be home for a while now.’ So, it feels great. I’ve been telling other people that have not interacted with people from Cleveland haven’t been here, first and foremost, how great all the people I’ve interacted with have been – not just in the building, but even outside in the city. Just like a good hard working people group that are kind and friendly, but also have a nice grit to them. I think it’s a great combination. So, I’m excited.”

Browns make Dustin Hopkins one of the highest-paid kickers with new extension

A key player is here to stay

The Cleveland Browns have given a key player from their 2023 season a new contract, and it’s not wide receiver Amari Cooper. After his outstanding season a year ago, Dustin Hopkins is now one of the highest-paid kickers in the NFL.

Inking a new three-year deal with the Browns, Hopkins is now set to make $15.9 million in that span. He is the fifth-highest-paid kicker behind Justin Tucker of the Baltimore Ravens, Jake Elliott of the Philadelphia Eagles, Matt Gay of the Indianapolis Colts, and Graham Gano of the New York Giants.

Hopkins came to the Browns by way of a trade a year ago after training camp and the preseason. After the continued struggles of Cade York, the Browns made the move, giving up a 2025 seventh round pick for his services.

And Hopkins rewarded the Browns with five game-winning field goals while remaining perfect from beyond 50 yards.

After struggling to find a competent kicker since the departure of Phil Dawson in 2012, the Browns keep their guy now.

Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins is healthy and ready for 2024

The veteran is 100% healthy

After suffering a hamstring injury, Kicker Dustin Hopkins missed the end of the season, including the playoff game. But he is fully recovered and ready to get back on the field for the Browns this fall after the team traded a seventh-round pick for the veteran at the end of training camp last year.

Some people questioned the move to acquire a player who had just lost a kicking competition, but the trade ended up being great for Cleveland. In October, Hopkins set an NFL record as the first player to make a 50+ yard field goal in five straight games. Hopkins also set a team record for the most field goals made in a single season for the Browns.

Hopkins will definitely be the kicker in Cleveland this year, but the team also made an exciting decision to bring back former draft pick Cade York to training camp and likely land on the practice squad.

4 biggest surprises from the Browns’ 11-win 2023 campaign

Who caught our eye this year and exceeded expectations?

The Cleveland Browns were pleasantly surprised by the performances of quarterback Joe Flacco, kicker Dustin Hopkins, and offensive tackle Dawand Jones this year en route to an 11-win season.

While the season did not end the way the Browns would have dreamt it up, losing to the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round, they over-achieved this season given that 26 percent of their starting lineup ended up on Injured Reserve this season. They took a true “next man up” mentality into the season and showed a tremendous amount of resilience to grind out tough wins.

This would not have been possible without players stepping up, players we might not have imagined would step up when their number was called. Rookies had to start, quarterbacks were signed off the couch, and kickers were traded for right at the end of training camp.

Here are four players who stood out the most and exceeded expectations for the Browns this season.

Kinnan’s All-Pro teams: How many Browns players make the cut?

Just one man’s list of All-Pros.

The regular season has come to an end for the Cleveland Browns, and defensive end Myles Garrett, kicker Dustin Hopkins, and others have the potential to receive NFL honors after their 2023 campaigns.

As the Browns get set for their Wild Card matchup against the Houston Texans and a potential deep run in the playoffs, it has come to fruition because of a plethora of these individual performers. We already know they have five Pro Bowlers on the roster, with six more named as alternates, but how many will translate into All-Pro nods?

Garrett is likely a lock, but can tight end David Njoku make the cut? What about guards Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller?

Everyone else is taking their run at forming their All-Pro teams, so why can’t I as well before the playoff fun begins? Here is my list of All-Pros from the 2023 season. There are first-teamers, second-teamers, and honorable mentions.

Enjoy!

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Stefanski: K Dustin Hopkins likely out for Browns vs. Texans

The Browns will likely be without their starting kicker again

As the Cleveland Browns prepare to take on the Houston Texans on Saturday afternoon, they will likely do so without their starting kicker Dustin Hopkins.

According to head coach Kevin Stefanski, Hopkins is unlikely to kick for the Browns as they travel to Houston this weekend. This means that practice squad Riley Patterson will once again assume the kicking duties for the Browns on Saturday.

Perhaps an advantage for Patterson and the Browns, they will be playing indoors where there will be no outside elements to tinker with his kicks. Going forward should the Browns win, however, the rest of their games would take place outdoors. It will be crucial to get Hopkins back for these games as they hope to make a run at a Super Bowl.

In relief of the Pro Bowl alternate in two games this season, Patterson has gone one-of-one on field goals, and six-of-seven on extra points.

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