Player News

• Dustin Hopkins: Cut by Cleveland

  08/26/2025 • By RotoWire

  The Browns released Hopkins on Tuesday, Kelsey Russo of the team's official site reports. Hopkins logged the worst season of his NFL career with Cleveland in 2024, converting just 18 of 27 field-goal attempts (67 percent) and 17 of 20 extra-point tries across 16 regular-season appearances. The team will instead opt to keep Andre Szmyt while potentially adding further competition at the kicker spot. Hopkins will search for an opportunity elsewhere as he enters his age-35 season.

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• Browns' Dustin Hopkins: Misses XPA in preseason finale

  08/25/2025 • By RotoWire

  Hopkins converted a 28-yard field goal and missed one of two extra-point kicks in Saturday's 19-17 preseason win over the Rams. Hopkins, who was on shaky ground following his performance in 2024, may have left enough doubt in the mind of decision-makers when he was wide left on an XPA. Organizational confidence was already low on Hopkins, who watched his competitor for the job, Andre Szmyt, convert a game-winning kick from 37 yards out with no time left on the clock. The projection for an initial 53-man roster from Zac Jackson of The Athletic gives the edge to Szmyt, although it should be noted he's never kicked in a regular-season NFL game.

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• Browns' Dustin Hopkins: Takes care of business Saturday

  08/17/2025 • By RotoWire

  Hopkins converted his lone field-goal attempt in Saturday's preseason win over the Eagles. Hopkins booted a 46-yarder in the second quarter and has made both of his FGAs in the first two preseason games. He's also made 2-of-3 extra-point kicks, although the miss came on a bad snap. Hopkins is looking to rebound from a down year in 2024, when he made just 67 percent of his field-goal attempts and 85 percent of extra-point tries. That performance prompted the Browns to bring in Andre Szmyt, who converted two field goals and an extra point Saturday, to push Hopkins during training camp.

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• Browns' Dustin Hopkins: Looking to rebound in 2025

  07/10/2025 • By RotoWire

  Hopkins is going to get every opportunity to show he's moved on from a frustrating 2024 season, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal reports. Hopkins was acquired from the Chargers ahead of the 2023 campaign and had a career year that season, drilling 33 of 36 field-goal attempts (91.7 percent) and 24 of 26 extra-point tries. Cleveland inked him to a three-year, $15.3 million extension through 2027, but the veteran kicker then posted the worst season of his career in 2024, making just 18 of 27 field goals (66.7 percent) and 17 of 20 extra points. The Browns have brought in Andre Szmyt to provide competition, but it sounds like Cleveland wants Hopkins to win this job. For fantasy purposes, the Browns don't project to be a high-scoring offense in 2025. That coupled with Hopkins' 2024 struggles don't make him a desirable target.

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• Browns' Dustin Hopkins: Keeping kicking job another week

  12/27/2024 • By RotoWire

  Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Friday that Hopkins will be the team's kicker Sunday against Miami, Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.com reports. Hopkins has been struggling mightily of late, and though he didn't attempt any field goals in last Sunday's loss to Cincinnati, he missed his lone extra-point attempt. That performance came one week after Hopkins received a game off to try to get back on the right track following a rough stretch. The veteran placekicker had missed both of his field-goal tries -- both under 50 yards -- the previous week and is just 2-for-7 on attempts since Cleveland's Week 10 bye. Nonetheless, the Browns will stick with Hopkins for at least one more contest despite signing Andre Szmyt to their practice squad Tuesday.

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