Factory Of Sadness
FanSided

5 Browns on the Roster Bubble Following Minicamp, OTAs

With just a month to go until training camp, these five Cleveland Browns have found themselves on the roster bubble following the first half of the NFL offseason.

By Devon Platana

DL Siaki Ika might find himself on the roster battle following minicamp and OTAs.
DL Siaki Ika might find himself on the roster battle following minicamp and OTAs. / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 5
Next

5. Cade York, K

The Browns were one of the busier teams when free agency opened. As the franchise signed some much-needed reinforcements, one of the more surprising names to join the fold was a familiar face. The player in question is none other than kicker Cade York, who was drafted 124th overall by Cleveland in 2022.

York's run in town didn't last long. The former LSU Tiger's 2023 preseason struggles resulted in his being shipped off to the Los Angeles Chargers for fellow kicker Dustin Hopkins. The trade ended up benefiting the Browns as Hopkins' leg was among the best last season, smashing 92.3% of extra-point tries and 91.7% of field-goal attempts. His eight made FGs from 50 yards or further were also second-most in the NFL.

While Hopkins thrived with the Browns, York struggled just to remain on a roster. After the Chargers waived him at the end of August, York enjoyed minor stints on the Tennessee Titans and New York Giants' practice squads before ending the year on the injured reserve with a banged-up quad.

Absence can make the heart grow fonder, though. The Browns decided they wanted to bring York back this offseason with head coach Kevin Stefanski saying that the team is happy to have the special teamer back. But even with the bench boss' endorsement, it isn't guaranteed that he'll make the 53-man squad.

There just isn't a reason to believe that York will beat Hopkins for the starting kicker job. Again, Hopkins is easily a top-10 kicker while York only owns a 75.0 FG% in 17 career games and hasn't played a meaningful contest since Week 18 of the 2022 campaign. Even if the Browns like 23-year-old to death as a person, it makes no sense to use two roster spots on kickers.

Considering that there weren't any reports of him putting some pressure on Hopkins, chances are that York will be a training camp casualty at some point.

More Browns news and rumors:

feed

Home/Cleveland Browns