In some cases, one could argue that they have given too many chances to some players, and in the case of the player released today, I could argue both for the release and against it, and both would make plenty of sense.
The Browns decision to release Cade York only one year after drafting him in the fourth round from LSU may be one that will be debated for a long time and while the debate may depend on when and if York develops into the kicker that was expected by Cleveland to be in another uniform, it's one that could be very pivotal in the Browns 2023 and perhaps longer.
York entered the 2022 draft as the top-rated kicker in the draft and after an LSU career that saw him connect on fifty-six of sixty-six attempts with multiple successes from over fifty yards.
York's Cleveland career started on a high note when he nailed all four field goal tries in their opener in Carolina and won the game with a fifty-eight-yard field goal with eight seconds remaining to give the Browns a 26-24 win.
However, York missed an extra point with 1:22 remaining in the following week that cost the Browns a 31-30 loss when the Jets scored two touchdowns to pull out an amazing win.
Had York hit the extra point, the Browns would have forced the game into overtime rather than take the defeat.
York finished the season 24 of 32 on field goals and 35 of 37 extra points but when you consider that York hit his first eight field goals last season, he missed eight of his final twenty-four tries, which means he missed one of every three attempts. and three of those misses were under forty yards.
York wasn't challenged in training camp by anyone as the Browns seemed to be all-in with York and up until this past weekend, nothing seemed to change even with York missing from forty-six yards against Washington and missing twice on game-winning field goal attempts against Philadelphia, when York missed from forty-seven but received a second chance from forty-two after the Eagles were flagged with a penalty, only to miss again.
The rumors around York's future only started to rise after the final preseason game in Kansas City when York missed an extra point (it was taken down by a Chiefs penalty) and had a forty-three-yard field goal that would have won the game blocked with under a minute to play.
Kevin Stefanski's post-game comments about York seemed to waver and for the first time, it appeared that the Browns were considering replacing York.
Cleveland then traded a 2025 seventh-round draft pick to the Los Angeles Chargers for veteran kicker Dustin Hopkins to fill the kicking vacancy.
The soon to be thirty-three year old Hopkins was good on nine of ten attempts for the Chargers last season, including a memorable Monday night game against Denver, when Hopkins was four for four on field goals despite injuring his hamstring during the game, including the game-winning field goal in overtime.
The hamstring injury ended Hopkins's season and he would duel for the job with his replacement in 2022, Cameron Dicker, in training camp but missed time in camp due to injury.
Hopkins signed with the Chargers in the middle of the 2021 season after spending his first six and a half seasons with Washington and was 18 of 20 on the season.
Here are my issues with the trade.
Dustin Hopkins is very reliable ( 84.8 career field goal percentage) and a seventh-rounder isn't much to pay for what the Browns hope will be a steady kicker but he is 33 and his missing time in training camp after his shortened 2021 is mildly concerning.
The Browns must sign a second kicker for the practice squad in case Hopkins's injury problems become chronic and should Cade York clear waivers (and I'm not sure that he will), I would like to see the Browns keep York, although he may not be interested in that path.
And while seventh-round draft picks aren't incredibly valuable, giving one away for a veteran kicker when other solid veterans such as Mason Crosby and Robbie Gould are available for free seems a bit strange.
However, Hopkins is under contract through 2024 so the Browns likely thought the extra contract year from Hopkins was worth the cost, or perhaps Gould and/or Crosby weren't interested or may have been asking for more than the Browns were willing to pay.
The biggest question is how well does Cade York perform with whatever team signs him in the future?
The horror story of the Vikings drafting Daniel Carlson and cutting him after a few struggles, only to have the Raiders scoop him up and see Carlson develop into one of the top kickers in football has to be concerning to the Browns front office and their fans.
Should Cade York live up to his potential, it would be the latest in the personnel blunders by the Cleveland Browns but under the circumstances, with the Browns in a win big or else season looming, I can understand why the Browns felt that they had to make this decision before it could cost you a game.
When you look at the schedule with the Browns playing the other three AFC North teams in the first four weeks of the season, Cleveland can't give away winnable games because they gambled on Cade York's potential.
I'm not saying I love cutting York and I'm not saying I hate it.
The Browns decided a solid and dependable kicker for two seasons outweighed the risk of a potential long-term standout that could cost them games in the immediate future.
I can't blame them for that thinking- but it might be a move that a future administration might regret as they could be the next unit to try to turn this franchise around if things don't fall into place.
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