The Cleveland Browns always find ways to lose close games against divisional rivals, and their brutal Week 1 defeat against a Cincinnati Bengals team that has a bit of a histort of starting out slow in the early weeks of any given season provided a perfect example as to why.
Even though the defense put together a tremendous performance against Joe Burrow in the second half, and despite Joe Flacco clocking in with a solid start, kicker Andre Szmyt left four points on the board in a 17-16 loss. A missed field goal and a missed extra point were the difference between a 1-0 start after an upset and the familiar territory of 0-1.
Despite the fact that fans justifiably want to see a special teams shakeup after this loss, head coach Kevin Stefanski has declared that Cleveland is going to stick with Szmyt, citing the fact that he is a young player who is developing. Can the Browns afford to go through kicker development?
"Young player, will only get better," Stefanski said of his kicker. "Obviously, he wants to come through in those moments. We expect him to come through in those moments, but just like any player on our roster, he will continue to get better."
Browns sticking with Andre Szmyt as kicker after Week 1 nightmare
While Szmyt was a dominant kicker early in his college career at Syracuse, so much so that he won the Lou Groza Award in 2018 as the nation's best at his position. However, he regressed in his later years, and he needed a stint in the UFL to convince NFL teams to take a chance on him.
While accountability doesn't always mean cutting someone at the first sign of a decline in performance, making a change a kicker after costing the Browns four points in a game that was decided by one point is one of those situations where a reassessment is necessary. Stefanski can't afford too many losses like that.
Kicking has been a mess for the Browns in recent years. Despite using a fourth-round pick on Cade York, he didn't even make it to his second season before being released. Dustin Hopkins put together a terrific 2023 season, but he regressed to the point where Szmyt beat him out.
Szmyt is now officially on notice, as any poor play that he uncorks is going to get a very vocal segment of this fanbase up in arms at the fact that he continues to hold down a job. It looks like one more close Browns loss is needed for Stefanski to pull the trigger on a change.