The Cleveland Browns opened the 2025 NFL campaign with Sunday's 17-16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, marking their fifth Week 1 defeat of the last seven seasons. Although wins are never guaranteed in football, the Browns' loss stings even more given that it could've been avoided if one player had done his job properly.
Expectations were high for Andre Szmyt after beating out Dustin Hopkins for the Browns' starting kicker job this summer. The ex-St. Louis Battlehawks' star was a standout performer in training camp and followed it up with a flawless preseason. Instead of picking up from where he left off, Szmyt missed an extra-point attempt in the third quarter, followed by a 36-yard miss in the fourth.
Those misses resulted in four lost points, which would've been enough for the Browns to secure the win. Of course, Szmyt's forgettable debut is already giving Cleveland fans some flashbacks about another failed kicker.
Browns K Andre Szmyt is Already Showing Shades of Cade York
It wasn't long ago when Cade York was the hot, new kicker in Cleveland. The McKinney, TX native was drafted 124th overall by the Browns in 2022 following a successful run with the LSU Tigers, leaving the fan base ready for him to make an immediate impact.
York's Browns stint started well for the first half-dozen games, but that's when things changed. In his final 10 games of the 2022 season, York only went 13-of-19 (68.4%) on his field-goal attempts despite being perfect on 22 extra-point tries. His struggles continued into the following training camp, which is when the Browns waived York after acquiring Hopkins from the Los Angeles Chargers.
Following in York's footsteps would ensure that Szmyt's time with the Browns ends before it starts. Stefanski & Co. cannot afford to keep calling the 26-year-old kicker's name if he can't make routine field goals and extra points. Even if Cleveland isn't expected to compete this year, that doesn't change the fact that a reliable special teams unit is needed to help mitigate how bad the season could get.
In other words, if Szmyt can't step up to deliver in crucial moments (like the ones that the Browns needed him for on Sunday), it's time for him to step aside. There are some available free-agent kickers if Cleveland is interested in replacing Szmyt, including Eddy Pineiro, Michael Badgley, and Zane Gonzalez.
York is available, too, but that isn't a path the Browns should traverse for a third time.
The NFL is a "what-have-you-done-for-me-lately" business, so it'll be up to Szmyt to silence his doubters as quickly as possible. His next opportunity to do so will come against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2. If he can't turn things around against the Browns' AFC North rival, it might be time for Szmyt to turn in his jersey.