Andrew Berry and the Cleveland Browns continue to collect seventh-round picks.
One week after swapping a sixth-rounder to Seattle for Nick Harris and a seventh-round selection, Berry traded kicker Cade York to the Washington Commanders for a conditional seventh-round draft pick.
Cleveland's fourth-round draft pick in 2022, York was the starting kicker in that season but was released in the 2023 pre-season after some erratic performances with the Browns trading with San Diego for Dustin Hopkins.
York was re-signed in the off-season even though Hopkins was signed to a three-season contract extension as the Browns must have been thinking about Hopkins's injury history and the new kickoff rule that could leave kickers vulnerable to contact.
York hit both of his field goal attempts in the two exhibition games, including a fifty-five-yard kick against Green Bay, and both extra point tries, so there are signs that York may be rounding into the kicker that Cleveland drafted in 2022.
I'm not sure about the conditions of the seventh round but usually, it is activated if York kicks/on the roster for a specified amount of games.
I've always liked Cade York's potential and I wish there was a way to keep him around but Washington needs a kicker, York will have a chance to kick there, and while a conditional seventh rounder isn't a great return, it's something for a player that likely wouldn't be able to return to the practice squad.
The Cleveland Browns made their cuts to fifty-three by today's required deadline and while the Browns could be active on the waiver wire, the moves are likely to be minimal.
That's not to say that the Browns did not have some difficult decisions and are hoping that a few of their cuts will make it through waivers to join their practice squad.
Two undrafted players made the roster linebacker Mohamoud Diabate and safety Ronnie Hickman.
Diabate played three seasons at Florida before transferring to Utah in 2002 and he took advantage of the issues at linebacker with Anthony Walker and Sione Takitaki still working their way back from injuries suffered last season.
Diabate likely made the roster when he forced a fumble and also scored a safety in the Browns tie with the Eagles to go with six solo tackles.
Ronnie Hickman pictured above, signed from Ohio State, intercepted three passes in the preseason and joined D'Anthony Bell as backup safeties who will be expected to help on special teams, which Mohamoud Diabate is expected to contribute as well.
Andrew Berry has traditionally been very reluctant to release players he's drafted but he knows what is on the line this season and he isn't as averse to moving on from his picks as in the past.
Berry released two players from the 2021 draft, fourth-round defensive tackle Tommy Togiai and seventh-round running Demetric Felton, and two players from the 2022 draft, fourth-round kicker Cade York (as reported yesterday) and seventh-round defensive lineman Isaiah Thomas.
The release of York and Thomas along with the earlier releases of fourth-rounder Perrion Winfrey and seventh-rounder Dawson Deaton means that only one year after the draft, Cleveland has only five of the nine selections under contract with one of them, sixth-round wide receiver Michael Woods, out for the season due to injury.
What seems to be the most controversial decision is the team keeping 2022 third-round choice David Bell over preseason standout Austin Watkins.
Watkins led the league in receiving statistics in the preseason with sixteen catches, 257 yards, and two touchdowns but Bell is younger and is a better special teams performer, which is vital for one of the backup receivers.
Bell also seems to be a better fit in the slot and Watkins likely was edged off the roster, not by Bell but by the return of off-season signee Marquise Goodwin from blood clots which caused him to miss training camp and was thought to perhaps cost him a significant part of the season.
The Browns also released veteran offensive lineman Michael Dunn and defensive tackle Maurice Hurst but both are thought to be returning once the administrative procedures of placing players on the injured reserve etc. are completed.
Demetric Felton likely would made the squad as the third running back, had the Browns not traded for Pierre Strong with New England earlier this week, and the Browns will try to bring him back to the practice squad, if possible.
Kellen Mond was released as the Browns have decided to go with two quarterbacks on the active roster but with his experience with the Browns last season, Mond would likely be added to the practice squad as well.
Jaylen Darden is a wideout that I'd love to see clear and return to the practice squad as he has plenty of skills but struggled through some training camp injuries that hindered his chance to make the team.
The main losses of note on defense are the former draftees Tommy Togiai and Isaiah Thomas along the defensive line.
Togiai got caught up in the numbers at defensive tackle after a strong preseason but he didn't stand out enough to hold off the newcomers at the position and Thomas, who missed all of the preseason with a knee injury, also was hampered by the team having to place another injured second-year defensive end in Alex Wright on the roster.
Both could wind up on the practice squad as well.
Cleveland may make a move or two depending on the talent available on the waiver wire but these cuts over the long term look to come down to David Bell vs. Austin Watkins (which unless Watkins becomes a star is for the last wide receiver spot on the roster) and the biggest will be the decision at kicker to trade for Dustin Hopkins and release Cade York, which will affect this season and should York move elsewhere and become the kicker that the Browns thought he would be when they drafted him, affect many seasons to come.
The Cleveland Browns under Andrew Berry have been noted for not giving up on players that they have drafted and giving them every possible chance to show that they can succeed as a Cleveland Brown.
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.
The Cleveland Browns seemed to have taken care of business with 1:22 remaining against the New York Jets as Nick Chubb barrelled into the end zone for a touchdown that boosted their lead to thirteen points and with a lead along with the Jets having no timeouts remaining, the Browns could smell a 2-0 record going into a Thursday night showdown with the hated Pittsburgh Steelers.
Little did they know that as Cade York lined up for the extra point that things were as good as they were going to be for a long time and circumstances were about to hand Cleveland arguably the worst loss in the history of a franchise filled with horrible defeats.
The 31-30 defeat to the lowly New York Jets started when the seemingly superfluous extra point was missed by rookie and Carolina hero Cade York to keep the lead at thirteen and not fourteen.
A point that didn't appear to be important at the time spelled the difference between overtime and a regulation defeat.
After the kickoff and a nine-yard completion kept the clock rolling, Joe Flacco hit a wide-open Corey Davis for a sixty-six-yard touchdown without a Brown in the picture, it brought to mind the late game Baker Mayfield strike to Robby Anderson against Carolina only one week ago.
Still, the Browns only have to recover the onside kick and the game ends.
They don't as the Jets wrestle the ball away from Amani Cooper with still 1:22 remaining.
Joe Flacco leads the Jets fifty-three yards in one minute, punctuating the score with a fifteen-yard pass to former Ohio State star Garrett Wilson, Wilson's second of the day for a player that the Browns could have possibly had without the trade for the socially-distanced DeShaun Watson.
The Jets kick the ball out of the end zone with Cleveland needing to get into range to give Cade York a chance at redemption and on the first play, Jacoby Brissett scrambles for twenty-one yards.
Brissett then throws his only interception of the day and the disintegration was complete.
Nick Chubb ran for eighty-seven yards and scored three touchdowns with the last one ending with some controversy.
Amari Cooper caught nine passes for one hundred one yards and the only Cleveland passing touchdown reception.
Cleveland will host Pittsburgh, who is also 1-1, on the Amazon Special Thursday night in what was once a luxury game now has become a must-win in order to even out the loss to the decrepit Jets.
Brownie Bits
1) Nick Chubb should have hit the ground or stepped out of bounds on his final touchdown, which would have led to a few kneeldowns and the clock running out.
Chubb did just that in a 2020 win over Houston, so he should have known- BUT
2) Kevin Stefanski admitted in his press conference that he didn't prepare Chubb for what he wanted to be done in that situation, which is his fault.
Good for accountability at that time but is it really accountability?
The same things happen again and again from the smartest guys in the room and they are always going to be fixed.
3) The coach's job, whether it's Kevin Stefanski or a position coach, is to prepare his players for situations, and after a time-out, it is essential to prepare them properly.
You can argue Chubb should have known better but it is the coaching staff that didn't make sure that Chubb knew in the event that he neared the goal line to get down or out.
4) Coaching any sport at any level, in game situations, it is the coach/manager's job not to assume that the player knows what to do.
The player is in the moment, instruct him what to do, and then if he doesn't follow the instruction-the coach did everything possible.
5) It's too bad that Amari Cooper flubbed the onside kick because it took the shine off an excellent game.
Cooper is exactly what you hope to see from a number one receiver- he runs excellent routes, his hands are dependable and he's willing to lay out to make a play.
6) The offensive line did their job and gave Jacoby Brissett time to throw as the Jets finished with just one sack in the game.
The work by the offensive line gave Brissett good protection and allowed the veteran to play very well.
7) Jacoby Brissett's one interception was unfortunate and not a bad one but look past that and give him credit for a solid game with one touchdown, one interception, and 229 yards.
If Brissett can play like this for nine more games, the Browns aren't going to be hurt by his play.
However, that's a huge if.
8) I was complimentary of Grant Delpit last week and I'm critical this week.
The long touchdown pass to Corey Davis has been either blamed on Delpit for not being in the right place or Delpit for not communicating with Denzel Ward and some have blamed Ward.
In any case, I wonder if the Browns are using Delpit properly to get the best use of the former LSU Tiger as Delpit seems to do best when he is allowed to freelance and run to the ball and in what Joe Woods is doing with him, Delpit seems some times to look lost when used as a centerfielder.
That's not to excuse Delpit but part of coaching and personnel is not slamming a round peg into a square hole and expecting it to fit well.
9) The Browns are paying Denzel Ward over one hundred million dollars to shut down receivers and lead the secondary on the field and even if the Corey Davis score was more the fault of Grant Delpit than Ward and I'm not sure that's completely the case, Ward needs to communicate better because that's what your leaders and stars are supposed to do.
10) Cade York moved from hero to goat in one week and that's part of the high-pressure job of an NFL kicker and he has to make that extra point.
Kickers will have missed kicks, even the best of them but York's miss hurts under the circumstances and it will be very interesting to see how that miss affects his confidence.
11) Special teams screwed up more than York's miss and the failure to recover the onside kick as in the first quarter, the punting unit allowed a fake punt to give the Jets a first down, which continued a drive that the Jets would score a touchdown in the end.
12) Joe Woods as defensive coordinator and Mike Preifer as special teams coach are both on the hot seat right now and I'd be surprised if either lost their job.
Letting Woods go would be merely a message as the season has started, the team would likely promote someone on staff to the coordinator position and the system would almost definitely remain the same, so firing Woods doesn't make sense to me.
13) Mike Priefer though, I wouldn't argue against letting him move on.
The Browns special teams have been bad under each of his seasons with the team, don't seem to be improving any this season, and changing the special teams' coach would be an easier position to fill from outside the organization.
14) This is a devastating defeat and the type of loss that has the potential to ruin seasons.
Now go out and beat Pittsburgh Thursday night and things even out but if they cannot, the Browns have no chance of being 3-1 at the end of the first month and with the schedule tightening after their visit to Atlanta, the Steeler game is a must-win.
It may be a stretch but Kevin Stefanski might be safe but almost anyone else may not be if the Browns get drilled by the Steelers on Thursday night.
More than a game or even a season could be on the line in the next two weeks- it could be some coaching and maybe even front office careers.
Rookie kicker Cade York nailed a fifty-eight-yard field goal with eight seconds remaining to give the Cleveland Browns their first season-opening victory since 2004 with a 26-24 win over the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte.
Nick Chubb rushed for 141 yards and Kareem Hunt scored a rushing touchdown as well as a receiving one to lead the Cleveland offense.
The Browns will host the 0-1 New York Jets next Sunday in their home opener.
Brownie Bits
1) Cade York might have finally given the Browns the weapon in the kicking game that they have lacked since the departure of Phil Dawson and showed why picking a kicker in the draft makes sense-IF (like every other position) you pick the right kicker.
2) Cleveland had tried on two other occasions to draft the problem to their placekicking solutions (Zane Gonzalez and Austin Seibert) since losing Phil Dawson but York seems different as he brings the dimension that Baltimore's Justin Tucker adds to the Ravens- the ability to add ten to fifteen yards longer than a normal kicker's range to give you a chance to win or tie in late game situations.
3) Jacoby Brissett was okay in his Browns debut but far from spectacular as he overthrew three receivers in the first quarter, most notably Amari Cooper on a pass pattern that would have likely resulted in a touchdown or a minimum of a first and goal situation.
4) Still, Brissett avoided the big mistake (zero turnovers) and while the overthrows are a concern that will continue as the Brissett era moves forward, this is the type of performance that Cleveland hopes will result in keeping the team afloat during the absence of DeShaun Watson- Basic and avoid mistakes.
5) The Browns did finally use some formations that used Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt in the backfield at the same time and it proved to be effective.
The key to this working is Kareem Hunt and his ability to disguise himself as the halfback or the fullback.
Hunt will usually be the fullback in these alignments but if Hunt can keep defenses wondering what he will do, it should open up some huge opportunities for Nick Chubb.
6) Speaking of Nick Chubb, Chubb averaged 6.4 yards per rush in this game and much of that was pure effort in dragging Panthers downfield.
Chubb reminds me of the backs of yesteryear that could outrun you but would rather run over you and while those types of backs often don't have a long-term shelf life, they are very fun to watch while you have them!
7) Cleveland's defense played well except for two massive exceptions and those were almost enough to cost them the game.
Blown coverages set up a second-quarter score as Baker Mayfield hit Ian Thomas for a fifty-yard gain to the one-yard line and the fourth-quarter seventy-five-yard strike to Robby Anderson for a score kept Carolina in the game.
Otherwise, the defense was fine but those two blown coverages have to be stopped when you play against better teams than Carolina and better passers than Baker Mayfield.
8) The defensive line tormented Baker Mayfield all game and in the first half, the Browns seldom allowed him to get an uncontested throw away without a tip, deflection, or a hurried pass.
Myles Garrett finished with two sacks and the Browns generally proved the point that Mayfield isn't good enough to be a quarterback to build around.
Mayfield did hit on those two blown coverages which a normal quarterback should but he otherwise didn't dazzle or look too much better than Jacoby Brissett did.
9) The officials may have blown two roughing the passer calls, one for each team, although the Carolina penalty cost them fifteen vital yards on the Browns last possession.
Carolina's Bryan Burns was called for roughing Jacoby Brissett on that play and it was at least an arguable call but it was no worse than the obviously awful call on Taven Bryan, who forced Baker Mayfield to hurry a throw and would have forced a punt from Carolina's own end zone.
10) Carolina was upset about intentional grounding not being called late in the game on Jacoby Brissett as he spiked the ball to stop the clock.
Brissett appeared to pump his arm as he took one step back and flags were thrown but after consultation, Brissett was ruled to be allowed to take the step as the rule states that the passer's step does not disqualify the passer from spiking the ball.
Matt Rhule didn't like the call and I might not have either but it was the correct call.
11) I thought Grant Delpit might be taking a step forward this season as a ball-hawking safety and it was Delpit that grabbed the only interception of the day on Baker Mayfield.
The Browns have lacked that type of player for so long and I believe Delpit will fill that role well.
12) Donovan Peoples-Jones led Cleveland with six catches for sixty yards and was targeted eleven times.
Peoples-Jones made several tough catches over the middle and bailed Jacoby Brissett out of a few jams with some excellent grabs.
13) Where does this put the Browns?
They had to have this game and the next game against the Jets.
Beating bad teams is a must until the return of DeShaun Watson and after dominating Carolina for the first fifty minutes, Cleveland allowed the Panthers back into the game with sloppy play.
That trend cannot continue as I'm convinced that Cleveland needs to be at least 3-1 after the first month if they have any playoff hopes.
They almost gave a game away that was well in hand, they are not good enough to do that against good teams and it's a bad habit to start to get into...
The Cleveland Browns have been unable to replace Phil Dawson as their kicker since Dawson left in 2012 and they have tried to draft replacements that resulted in failure, so it wasn't a surprise that the team tried again by picking LSU kicker Cade York in the fourth round this weekend.
Cleveland drafted Zane Gonzalez in the seventh round in 2017 and Austin Seibert in the fifth in 2019 and even though both are still active with other teams (Gonzalez with Carolina and Seibert with Detroit) neither was especially successful as Browns.
York had been connected to the Browns by many draft evaluators with division rival Cincinnati drafting Evan McPherson to great success last year and Baltimore having perhaps a Hall of Famer in Justin Tucker and Cleveland's Chase McLaughlin connecting only 72.5 percent of field goal attempts (Worst in the league), the Browns were expected to look seriously at York or second-rated kicker Cameron Dicker of Texas at some point during the draft.
York kicked fifteen field goals of over fifty yards in his career at LSU, including his famous fifty-seven-yard kick through a deep fog to defeat sixth-ranked Florida in 2020.
York was fifty-four of sixty-six in his three years at LSU and seems to check all the boxes but who truly knows when it comes to kickers.
Even the most heralded booters discover that their resume means nothing under NFL pressure and kicking at a home field which is one of the most difficult in the league for kickers makes selecting kickers a "you never know" proposition for any team located in the north.
While I am all for the selection of York and think the Browns need to kick trying to address the problem at kicker, I can't say that I fully know that York will be the answer.
I liked Gonzalez when the Browns drafted him, and I thought Siebert was overdrafted when Cleveland selected him and neither proved to be the answer.
The only answer with kickers in Cleveland is that we just don't know.
I do know this- I would call Phil Dawson, cut him a check as a consultant, and have Dawson available for York to converse with and even walk the field together with various tips for York to learn from the one player that had success kicking consistently in that stadium.
I still have four more Browns to discuss and the Stevenson-Valdez fight for the boxing challenge to write, so I'll be working on those over the next day or so.
