Dustin Hopkins In, Cade York Out For Cleveland
Photo Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
What was feeling more and more like an inevitability became reality on Monday when the Cleveland Browns made a switch at kicker. The organization traded a seventh-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for Dustin Hopkins and promptly waived the struggling Cade York.
#NFL | The Cleveland #Browns have made 2 moves regarding their kickers. They have traded a 2025 7th Round Pick to the Los Angeles #Chargers for K Dustin Hopkins. In a corresponding move, they have waived K Cade York who they drafted in the 4th Round of the 2022 NFL Draft. pic.twitter.com/fqhgSN17vf
— Spotlight Sports (@spot_sports__) August 28, 2023
After an up-and-down rookie season where the former LSU Tiger showed flashes of brilliance, this year’s training camp was nothing short of a nightmare York. Four missed kicks in just eight attempts was enough to shake the confidence of Andrew Berry, Kevin Stefanski, and Co.
On one hand, the move represents an ultimate disappointment. The team spent a fourth-round pick on someone they believed could be a high-level stallwart at the position for a decade or more. To have it go so poorly so quickly is a seismic letdown.
On the other hand, the move shows the urgency of the front office and coaching staff. The organization knows they have a potentially special roster on their hands, and leaving crucial moments to someone you don’t trust in a pivotal season is a clear no-go.
Despite losing a kicking competition to Cameron Dicker in the preseason, Hopkins is beyond reliable. Before an injury that ended his 2022 season Hopkins was 9/10 on field goals, 12/12 on extra points, and sent 90% of his kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks. He’s a career 85% on field goals and 94% on extra points. Those are the kind of numbers that should give the team peace of mind as they enter clutch moments.
It will be interesting to see which path Cade York ultimately takes. Will this be the first blow in the journey of a talented kicker who couldn’t quite put it together? Or will he follow the Daniel Carlson path and catch on with another team and make Cleveland regret cutting him for a decade? Only time will tell.
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