Getty Images Cade York of the Cleveland Browns.
The franchise won’t admit it publicly, but the Cleveland Browns have a serious special teams problem on their hands — or rather, on their feet.
Starting kicker Cade York is 0-of-2 on field goal tries during the preseason after connecting on just 24-of-32 attempts during his rookie campaign in Cleveland last year. Head coach Kevin Stefanski continues to back his kicker as media inquiries over York’s performance intensify. On Friday, August 11, Stefanski said that the Browns continue to have confidence in York and are not looking to replace him. Reporters pressed the coach on his kicker again the following day, asking if the staff has identified any patterns in York’s inaccuracies.
“I don’t think there’s a common thread,” Stefanski responded. “It’s a small sample size. Going to continue to work. Cade’s working very hard, just like the rest of our team is. I think it’s preseason football for all of us. None of us are ready to play or coach in that first game just yet. So, we’re working through it.”
While toeing the company line is all well and good when the games don’t count, Browns fans can expect Stefanski’s tune to change quickly if York’s issues continue and end up costing Cleveland wins during a regular season in which the head coach must deliver if he hopes to keep his own job secure.
Given the circumstances, Cleveland should be (and probably is) considering contingency plans if York can’t get himself on track. Kickers come and go all the time in the NFL, though a handful of names have been stalwarts over the past decade or two. Perhaps no specialist embodies that kind of career longevity more than 16-year veteran Mason Crosby.
Former Packers Kicker Mason Crosby is Battle-Tested, Ready to Play in 2023
GettyKicker Mason Crosby, formerly of the Green Bay Packers, remains a free agent with less than one month to go before the start of the 2023 NFL regular season.
The Green Bay Packers booted Crosby out of Title Town over the offseason after that franchise drafted kicker Anders Carlson who, like York, has a recent history of struggles with accuracy, though Carlson’s occurred at the collegiate level with Auburn University.
Crosby, who won a Super Bowl ring as the Packers’ starter in 2010, has connected on 81.4% of 485 regular season field goal attempts over the course of his NFL tenure. Crosby remains highly reliable even as he approaches 39 years of age, connecting on 25-of-29 FG tries during his final season in Green Bay.
After earning nearly $44 million and a title during his professional career, Crosby is in no apparent rush to join a new team, as he remains a free agent with less than four weeks to go before the start of the regular season. However, the kicker has made it clear that he intends to play again in 2023.
“It’s been unreal that this is the first time in 16 years that I’ve been a free agent,” Crosby said on ESPN’s Wilde & Tausch show on June 26. “It’s a little unknown, and my normal process is you evaluate the season and then hope to have those conversations before free agency. Unfortunately this year, that didn’t happen.”
Browns Investment in Cade York Will Be Outweighed by Need to Win This Season
GettyCleveland Browns co-owner Jimmy Haslam (left) talks with general manager Andrew Berry (right).
Part of the reason Cleveland brass has been so consistent in its backing of York is because of how much the organization has invested in him.
The Browns used a fourth-round draft pick (No. 124 overall) in 2022 to bring York in from LSU. Selecting him there put the kicker on a four-year rookie contract worth nearly $4.4 million in total, which is on the exceedingly high end of salaries for kickers making their NFL debuts.
General manager Andrew Berry has a reputation keeping a tight grasp on his draft picks, which might explain why York isn’t facing any public pressure from the franchise to improve after a sub-par rookie campaign followed by an unnerving preseason to this point.
However, Browns ownership has been unwilling to commit to contract extensions for Berry or Stefanski, as the team has spent big over the last two offseasons to build a contender. If York can straighten himself (and his kicks) out and help Cleveland win, he should be fine. If he can’t, expect the pressure to ratchet up significantly this season.