The Cleveland Browns are set to have a brand new kicker when they open the 2025 NFL regular season against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Andre Szmyt, who beat out veteran Dustin Hopkins for the starting job, will be given the keys to the Browns' kicking unit, and expectations are high following a strong summer.
Browns fans hope that Szmyt’s performance from the preseason (3-for-3 on field goals and 4-for-6 on extra points) will carry over into the regular season after seeing what Hopkins did last season. The 34-year-old kicker went from making 91.7% of his field goals in 2023 (33-of-36) to just 66.7% in 2024 (18-of-27).
Cleveland cannot afford for Szymt to be a net negative in 2025. Luckily for the fanbase, Browns special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone believes that won’t be the case.
Browns Fans Don’t Want Dustin Hopkins or Cade York 2.0 in 2025
According to Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot, Ventrone pointed out that the former St. Louis Battlehawks kicker "has hit a 64-yarder and has a strong leg" while being "consistent." In the preseason finale last month, Szymt converted a walk-off 37-yard field goal to send the Los Angeles Rams home.
Szymt also showed off a bit of his leg strength in the Browns’ second preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles, making a 49-yard field goal going into the half.
Browns fans on social media weren’t exactly over the moon about Ventrone’s comments, though, as it almost sounds like what was said about Hopkins and Cade York.
Before Hopkins was traded to the Browns ahead of the 2023 season, he made 90% of his field goals (9-of-10) in 2022 (five games) with the Los Angeles Chargers and 88.2% of field goals (30-of-34) between the Washington Commanders and Los Angeles Chargers.
In his first season with the Browns, Hopkins was outstanding from 50 yards out, going a perfect 8-for-8, with his longest being 58 yards. Last year, his percentage from that distance dropped to 50% (4-for-8). Meanwhile, York’s consistency waned during the 2022 season, as he made 75% of his field goals (24-for-32).
In other words, it's understandable if Browns fans don't want to be reminded of past failed kicking experiments.
At the end of the day, Szmyt has a chance to change the narrative about Browns’ kickers right away in Week 1 against the Bengals. If he's successful, Cleveland's kicking situation may finally have some semblance of consistency.