Getty Images Cade York of the Cleveland Browns.
The Cleveland Browns are sticking with kicker Cade York for now, but one noted team insider isn’t so sure he’ll be the starter once Week 1 rolls around against the Cincinnati Bengals.
“I’d probably say it’s 50-50. It should never be that low at this point,” ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Grossi said during an August 21 appearance on 850 ESPN Cleveland radio. “You know, this is something that we didn’t foresee as being a problem when camp started. Even his sternest critic felt that, you know, you’re OK there. Hopefully he improves. But look where we’re at. I mean, it’s the major issue on the team. It is the No. 1 issue. I don’t know what they’re going to do, other than they’re moving ahead with them, and we’ll see what happens.”
York, 22, has struggled with consistency in the preseason, hitting just 50% of his kicks. He missed field goals in each of the Browns’ first two preseason games and went 3-of-4 in Cleveland’s August 17 tie against the Philadelphia Eagles — the lone miss being a 41-yard attempt that would have given the Browns a late lead.
The Browns have continued to back York and have opted not to bring in another kicker, fearing that it would shake their young kicker’s confidence even further.
“It’s the major issue on the team,” – @TonyGrossi shares his thoughts on the Cade York situation.
Do you think he will be the kicker week 1?
Browns Invested in Cade York Being Long-Term Kicker
The Browns picked York in the fourth round last year with the hopes that he could be their long-term solution at kicker. At the time, he was the highest-drafted kicker since 2016 (Roberto Aguayo, picked in the second round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers). He showed some flashes last season, including a 58-yard game-winner in Week 1. But overall, he was inconsistent, converting 75% of his field goals (24-for-32). He also missed a pair of extra points.
It might still be too early for the Browns to pull the plug on York. A fourth-round pick isn’t chump change to simply cut ties with after one season, and the Browns have traditionally given their homegrown players some extra slack under general manager Andrew Berry.
Cleveland is also running out of time to find a solution that would be an improvement over York. With the start of the season just a few weeks away, on September 10, there are no surefire kickers on the market who could come in and bring stability.
“Kickers want to make every kick,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said after York’s latest miss. “We want Cade to make every kick. You’ve just got to continue to work through it. It’s really as simple as that. The kid works very hard. He’ll continue to do that.”
Browns Kicker Cade York Will Get Another Chance Against Chiefs
The Browns will take on the Kansas City Chiefs on August 26 in what is their preseason finale, giving York one more shot to move past the misses. The starters are expected to play for the Browns, and ideally, York will get a few more shots at making some field goals to build some momentum for the regular season.
The Browns have pushed back against the idea of bringing in another kicker to rev up a competition.
“That’s just our decision,” Stefanski said. “Obviously, Cade’s our kicker. We support him. We have a ton of confidence in him. That’s really as simple as that.”
York got into a bit of hot water last week when a post went up on his Instagram at halftime with highlights of his first-half field goals against the Eagles. Stefanski assured that it wasn’t York who posted the highlights from the locker room but said he’d have a conversation with his kicker about it.