Browns End Kicker Competition With Trade Before Preseason Finale

With the preseason coming to an end, that means roster cutdown day is right around the corner. The Cleveland Browns will need to get their roster down to just 53 players for Week 1, which means releasing dozens of contributors who may find new homes elsewhere.

However, another way the Browns can slim their numbers down is through trades, and they did just that on Thursday.

Multiple NFL insiders have reported Cleveland is sending kicker Cade York to the Washington Commanders for a conditional seventh-round pick. This deal helps both sides, as the Browns receive possible draft compensation for a backup -- given Dustin Hopkins is entrenched as the starter -- and the Commanders get someone with starting experience to help their special teams unit.

This officially puts an end to Cleveland's kicking "competition" (which no one took seriously given York's past struggles and Hopkins' excellence in 2023), as well as York's second stint with the team.

Hopes were high for the LSU product after the Browns selected him in the fourth round of the 2022 draft. Yet, despite occasionally showing off his big leg, his inconsistency (75% on FG attempts) put him on the chopping black last preseason. When Hopkins arrived via trade and impressed, that made the decision to cut York easy.

The former Tiger then caught on with the Tennessee Titans' practice squad, and he was even signed to the New York Giants' 53-man roster during the 2023 campaign. He didn't appear in a game for the Giants, though, and landed on injured reserve to end his year.

Shockingly, the Browns decided to re-sign York this offseason, but it's clear Andrew Berry's bet has paid off after flipping the likely cut candidate for a future draft pick. Those kinds of savvy moves are the exact kind a team that's traded away several selections recently needs to restock their war chest.

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