The Cleveland Browns shook up their kicker room in a big way one day before the NFL's 53-man roster cut deadline. According to CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones, the Browns acquired Los Angeles Chargers veteran kicker Dustin Hopkins after Los Angeles landed on Cameron Dicker for its kicker position. Additionally, NFL Media reports Cleveland is releasing kicker Cade York following the trade. The Browns are sending a 2025 seventh-round selection to L.A. in return, according to ESPN.
This is a smart move by Cleveland, as Hopkins would have surely been picked up by another kicker-needy team, such as the Tennessee Titans, on waivers following his eventual release. Hopkins, who is 32 years old, went 2 for 2 on field goals and 3 for 3 on extra points in the preseason. In 109 NFL games played, mostly for the Washington Commanders, Hopkins has hit on 84.8% of his field-goal attempts (190 for 224) and 94.4% of his extra points (221 for 234).
The Chargers confirmed the move, thanking Hopkins for his services with the team and wishing him luck in Cleveland:
thank you, dustin 💙
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) August 28, 2023
→ https://t.co/TxcP7pooks pic.twitter.com/BX45BqC7t5
The Browns moving on from York was something many were anticipating after the 22-year-old struggled throughout the preseason. He went 4 of 8 on his field-goal attempts in four games, which included a potential 43-yard game-winner that was blocked with 12 seconds remaining in Cleveland's final preseason outing against the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday.
"People gave me pats on the back, but I hate pity. Pity pisses me off." York said after the Chiefs game. "I want to be a weapon. I know how good I am and it's been the most frustrating thing the last month, struggling with that."
York was selected by the Browns in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of LSU. In his rookie season, York made 24 of 32 field-goal attempts and 35 of 37 extra points. Given the state of the kicker position around the league, it's very likely York won't have a tough time finding his next team.
