Dustin Hopkins is the incumbent.
Andre Szmyt has never kicked in a regular season NFL game.
But the Cleveland Browns have a decision on their hands nonetheless.
The kicker role in the modern NFL is a big one. Guys are making longer field goals than ever before. They decide games.
The Browns may not be projected for a huge win total this season, but the only chance they have of winning close games is to get the kicker call right.
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And Szmyt just kicked a game-winning field goal in the preseason finale, the same game Hopkins missed an extra point.
The Athletic’s Zac Jackson projects that the Browns will keep Szmyt over Hopkins.
“There can’t be any organizational confidence in Hopkins right now, so the Browns probably have to move on,” Jackson writes. “… About $1.25 million of Hopkins’ 2025 salary is guaranteed, but that can’t cloud the team’s thinking.”
Szmyt has had to make due in secondary leagues since entering pro football, but he was once regarded as one of the best kicking talents in the country.
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He came out of nowhere at Syracuse to win the Lou Groza Award for top placekicker as a college freshman.
Szmyt never quite reached those heights again, but he’s been solid at every stop he’s made.
The next stop might be on the shores of Lake Erie, if the Browns follow Jackson’s projection and keep him to be their kicker.
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