NFL Player News

The Browns have waived McLaughlin, Dan Labbe of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

The team also waived Chris Blewitt, moves prompted by the Browns' selection of fellow kicker Cade York in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. McLaughlin, who made 15 of his 21 field-goal attempts and 36 of 37 extra-point tries in 2021 (his only season with Cleveland) now will look for an opportunity to compete for a roster spot elsewhere.

McLaughlin will be challenged for the starting placekicker job after Cleveland selected Cade York in the fourth round of the 2022 Draft, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

McLaughlin appeared to stabilize the Browns' kicking woes early in 2021 but faded in the second half. He converted six of 12 field-goal attempts from Week 7 and beyond and finished just 4-for-10 from between 40 and 49 yards. Enter York, the first kicker drafted and considered the top one on the board, who was successful on 15 of 18 attempts for LSU last season, including 5-for-7 from 50-plus yards. McLaughlin enters offseason activities as the incumbent, but the job will be York's to lose.

The Browns selected York in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 124th overall.

Kicker selections are rarely exciting, but York was a good one at LSU and boasts range at or pushing 60 yards. York's field goal percentage was 77.8 percent or better in each of his three seasons, so he has both range and accuracy as he steps into the Cleveland lineup.

Patterson signed a one-year deal with the Lions on Tuesday, Howard Balzer of SI.com reports.

Patterson was an exclusive rights free agent, who spent time with the Vikings and Patriots before finding a home with the Lions in his rookie season. The 22-year-old served as Detroit's kicker for seven games, making 13 of 14 field goal attempts and all 16 of his extra-point attempts. With Austin Seibert (hip) and Aldrick Rosas still on the Lions' roster, Patterson will still have to earn the starting job next season.

Gay signed his restricted free agent tender with the Rams on Thursday, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Gay received an original-round tender from the Rams, and he'll enter his third campaign with the team in 2022. He's been excellent across the last two seasons, combining to hit 46 of his 50 field-goal attempts and 64 of his 65 extra-point attempts.

Slye signed a two-year contract with the Commanders on Monday.

The full terms of Slye's deal have yet to be disclosed, though Ian Rapoport of NFL Network notes the deal is worth nearly $5 million. Though he appeared in just six games with Washington last season, Slye impressed enough to earn a two-year commitment from the team. In those six contests, he converted all 12 of his field-goal attempts and nine of 10 extra-point tries.

Joseph signed his one-year contract tender with Minnesota on Monday, his agent Brett Tessler reports.

Joseph was solid in 2021, when he converted a career-high 87 percent of his field-goal attempts across 17 games with the Vikings. The 27-year-old currently is the only kicker on Minnesota's roster, and he can be considered the clear favorite to begin the 2022 season as the starter, though another option realistically could be added at the position when offseason workouts ramp up.

Cleveland re-signed McLaughlin on Tuesday.

McLaughlin wasn't initially tendered a contract for the 2022 season, but the Browns have now re-signed him as a free agent. He served as the team's starting kicker in 2021, when he made his first nine field-goal-attempts of the year but then went 6-for-12 down the stretch.

Pineiro signed a one-year deal worth up to $2.75 million with the Jets on Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Pineiro, who was a restricted free agent, was tendered by the Jets earlier in March and will return to the team in 2022 after converting all 17 of his kicks in 2021. He'll presumably compete with Greg Zuerlein, who the Jets recently signed, for the starting gig during training camp.

Zuerlein signed a contract with the Jets on Saturday.

Zuerlein knocked home 29 of his 35 field-goal attempts for the Cowboys last season, but Dallas elected to release the veteran earlier this month. Zuerlein may not have a completely clear path to the kicking job after Eddy Pineiro connected on all 17 of his kicks over his five games for the Jets last year, but the former should have a decent shot.