Tag: Dustin Hopkins

Browns not making a kicking change despite season-long struggles

Dustin Hopkins remains the starting kicker this week despite another being added to the practice squad

The Cleveland Browns are sticking with kicker Dustin Hopkins in Week 17 against the Miami Dolphins.

ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi reported that Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has named kicker Hopkins the starter for Week 17 against the Dolphins. This comes after the Browns added another kicker, Andre Szymt, to the practice squad.

After a strong 2023 season where he went 33-for-36 on field goal attempts and earned an extension, Hopkins has struggled in his second year with Cleveland. He has converted just 16 of 25 field goals and missed three extra points.

To address the kicking position, the Browns briefly used Riley Patterson in a game before Atlanta signed him off their practice squad. Cleveland also added Szmyt to the practice squad for the competition, though Szmyt has yet to kick in an NFL game.

The Browns would take on a minor cap hit if they were to release Hopkins before the end of 2025 because of his recent extension. However, a return to form would benefit both parties, as the team hopes Hopkins can regain the confidence that made him a reliable option in 2023.

Don’t expect Dustin Hopkins to kick again in 2024

It would be shocking if new kicker Andre Szmyt was not kicking for the Browns on Sunday

The Cleveland Browns added another kicker to the practice squad in Andre Szmyt, and that likely signals the end of the season for Dustin Hopkins.

Signing Riley Patterson to their practice squad two weeks ago, the Browns tried to give Hopkins the rest of the year off to get his head straight. However, after a season-ending injury to their kicker, the Atlanta Falcons signed Patterson off of Cleveland’s practice squad, leading the Browns to add another.

The Browns were then forced to trot Hopkins back out onto the field against the Cincinnati Bengals. It did not go well as Hopkins missed another kick, this time an extra point.

When asked about their plan for Hopkins and the kicking situation against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone stated the team is “working through” their options, a similar answer they gave two weeks ago when they elevated Patterson to the gameday roster and scratched Hopkins.

We won’t get any news until tomorrow about who the Browns will elevate from the practice squad to their gameday roster but do not be surprised to see Szmyt’s name listed.

If the Browns have anything to say about it, Hopkins’ season is over.

Browns add UFL standout kicker as Dustin Hopkins continues to struggle

The Browns were forced to add another kicker to their practice squad.

The Cleveland Browns have added kicker Andre Szmyt to their practice squad as their starter Dustin Hopkins continues his struggles in 2024.

Hopkins, one game after being sat down, got the start again after the Atlanta Falcons signed Riley Patterson off of their practice squad. In the Week 16 loss against the Cincinnati Bengals, Hopkins only got one chance to kick, hooking an extra point attempt. The Browns had no choice but to add another kicker.

On the season, Hopkins has only made 64 percent of his kicks one year removed from setting Browns’ franchise kicking records. He’s also missed three extra points this season, including his one in Week 16.

Szmyt, a Syracuse graduate, kicked in the UFL last season. He went 20-of-23 on the season and made a long of 61 yards for the St. Louis Battlehawks.

Do not be shocked if the Browns sit Hopkins down again over the last two weeks of the season and let Szmyt do the kicking the rest of the way out.

Dustin Hopkins will be the Browns starting kicker in Week 17

The Browns are turning back to the foot of Hopkins

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has announced that kicker Dustin Hopkins will resume his starting role after one week on the bench.

This announcement comes as a bit of a surprise after only seeing backup kicker Riley Patterson for one contest against the Kansas City Chiefs. After he was demoted from the starting role, he was almost immediately signed to the Atlanta Falcons’ active roster.

He made his lone extra point attempt in the week 15 contest against the Kansas City Chiefs. The veteran Hopkins was reported to have a solid performance in practice as of late and will hopefully transition this effort onto game day.

Many are confused by the switch to Hopkins after the Browns have now officially benched him for only one week. When the team announced Dorian Thompson-Robinson would be starting in week 16, they sent a message earlier that finding talent for the future is a priority. Benching Patterson for a struggling Dustin Hopkins. Send the complete opposite message to the team in this regard.

Nonetheless, we’ll see if he can return to the former success he had in the previous season.

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.