BEREA, Ohio — If Dustin Hopkins had to have someone breathing down his neck at a time like this, he’d just assume it be young kicker Riley Patterson, to whom he opened up his home after the Browns signed him last Christmas.
Patterson, 25, was signed by the Browns a day after Hopkins pulled his hamstring chasing down Dameon Pierce on a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the Christmas Eve victory over the Texans. He kicked in the final two regular-season games, making his lone field 33-yard field goal attempt in the playoff-clinching victory over the Jets, and 4 of 5 extra points.
In the 45-14 playoff loss to the Texans, Patterson made both of his PATs.
No one was happier for him than his temporary roomie Hopkins.
“Riley’s a great dude, so I’m glad if they’re going to have somebody in, that it’s somebody that I think is a good person,” Hopkins said Wednesday. “Riley’s great. Obviously I’m aware of it, and it’s part of our job. It never feels good when typically a position with one person in the building, there’s two. So it’s not like I’m acting like it’s a great thing. But at the same time I just don’t purposely think about the things that are out of my control, and that includes decisions that the team makes.”
Likewise, Patterson, in his fourth-year out of Memphis, is an enthusiastic member of the mutual admiration society.
“To be clear, Dustin is the man,” Patterson said. “He’s awesome. I’m a huge fan of him. You guys all know him. Dustin’s awesome. I was here last year with him. I mean, he let me stay at his place. He’s awesome. But I’ve just been a big fan of his in general. And I’ve also, everywhere that I’ve been, I haven’t been the only kicker on the roster. So I’m very well aware of how these situations work. So there’s a good way to do it and not a good way to do it. And between me and him, it will be awesome. So we’ll just get better together.
The fact that Patterson, in his third year out of Memphis, showed up on the doorstep at all this week is at least a mild surprise.
After Hopkins missed two more kicks during Sunday’s 27-14 loss to the Steelers, Kevin Stefanski stated emphatically twice, “He’s our kicker.”
He doubled down on that sentiment on Monday, saying, “we’ll get through it together. He’s a veteran. He’s been through a lot in his career already and this is something we’ll continue to work through.”
On Tuesday, the Browns brought Patterson in for a tryout, and signed him to the practice squad that afternoon to possibly be available to kick Sunday against the Chiefs.
On Wednesday, Stefanski explained the thinking process for bringing in Patterson, 25, and didn’t guarantee that Hopkins will kick vs. the Chiefs.
“A guy that we know was in here last year,” Stefanski said. “We’ll work through all those types of decisions this week. Don’t have a final decision. Dustin’s our kicker, but we’ll work through all that.”
Might Hopkins benefit from a break after missing 6 of his last 9 kicks to fall to 16 of 25 (64%) on the season? Last season, he made 33 of 36 field goals and set the Browns record for most in a season. He also went a remarkable 8-for-8 from 50 plus.
The performance was stellar, the Brown signed him to a three-year extension through 2027 worth $5.3 million a year, making the fifth-highest paid kicker in the NFL at the time. He’s currently tied for 8th.
“It’s all those things we need to just work through,” Stefanski said. “And like I told you guys the other day, Dustin’s a guy that I trust. He’s a veteran that has been through a lot in his career and he will work through this. We’ll work through this one together.”
Patterson, signed by the Vikings as an undrafted rookie out of Memphis in 2021, has appeared in 40 career games with the Lions (2021 and 2023), Jaguars (2022), Browns (2023) and Jets (2024). He’s made 59 of 67 field goal attempts and 96 of 100 PATs.
This season, he played one game for the Jets against the Texans, making all three of his extra point attempts.
“You’re always preparing to make every kick that you’re asked to go out there for, whether it’s practice or games,” he said. “I have no idea, but my job is to be ready for anything, and if they pull me up, they do. If they don’t, then they don’t. So I’m just thankful to be here. I’ll be ready to go if they need me to do for anything. So that’s my position on it.”
Hopkins, deeply religious, isn’t kicking himself while he’s down.
“If I didn’t have my identity in the Lord and it was wrapped up in just who I was as a football player, when something like this would happen, your whole life crumbles,” he said. “As opposed to this being a storm that I’m weathering, and I’m not acting like it’s an easy thing, but at the same time, my whole world is not crumbling. It’s something that I’m navigating, that you’re pushing through, and that you’re drawing strength from the most important thing.”
He vowed to keep working to be the best version of himself, including trying to find a swing thought that will shake him out of the slump.
“Even when something really, quite frankly, sucky is going on in your life, you can trust that it’s for your good,” he said. “And it might just mean building character and perseverance, a number of things that are working on me as a man. It doesn’t guarantee success on the field or anything else you’re trying to pursue in life, but you can draw strength in knowing that, ‘hey, I’ll be better off on the back end of this than I am right now.’”
Hopkins’ close friend Jameis Winston, who goes all the way back to Florida State with him, noted that Hopkins’ wife, Gabrielle, has been back home taking care of their autistic son, Wake, and their infant son by herself and that it’s been tough on the family.
“We had a great talk on Thanksgiving because it’s been challenging for Dustin because his family hasn’t been able to be with him because his amazing wife has been taking care of Wake and their youngest son back home,” Winston said. “So Dustin is a family man, and I think in terms of his schedule, in terms of his preparation, he requires to have his loved ones around him. That’s how he functions. So I know that has been definitely challenging him, but he also knows that the responsibility that he has in this building.
“So I just continue to lift him up and continue to encourage him, ‘Hey, man, look who you’re doing in for. You are strong and courageous. You are an amazing human being, so don’t focus on what you’re lacking.’ And right now he’s lacking that love and affection from his family. ‘Just focus on what you have, man. And I know I can’t give to you what your wife can give to you, but, man, I love you and I’m going to be there for you regardless of the circumstances.’”
Hopkins has tried to keep his slump in perspective.
“People’s jobs and careers are important, so I’m not trying to discount not only my own, but anybody’s job or career,” he said. “It’s an important part of our life. But we shouldn’t be crushed when something isn’t going our way, knowing that know 20 years from now, my family is not going to care about my stat line from when I played ball back in the day. I still want to excel at this game, and that’s part of the job and I want to do well, and it sucks not doing well. But at the same time, I just reflect on what’s important.”
He might even have a new temporary roommate again to help him through the rough patch.
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