CLEVELAND, Ohio — The moment Andre Szmyt’s second field goal attempt sailed wide right against the Bengals on Sunday, Browns fans collectively experienced that all-too-familiar sinking feeling. Another game, another kicking catastrophe.
In the latest episode of the Terry’s Talkin’ podcast, cleveland.com columnist Terry Pluto delved into the franchise’s seemingly endless search for kicking stability.
“Since Phil Dawson was forced out after the 2012 season, they’ve had 15 different kickers,” Pluto said. “Last year, by the way, 43 different guys attempted a field goal in an NFL game.”
This number illustrates both the Browns’ specific struggle and the league-wide volatility at a position that demands near-perfection. Szmyt, the latest contestant in Cleveland’s kicking carousel, now finds himself squarely on the hot seat after missing two crucial kicks that could have changed the outcome against Cincinnati.
“It’s so hard for a guy like that, because he’s got nothing in the bank in terms of goodwill, not only with this team but in the NFL, period,” Pluto said. “He has done nothing in the NFL to inspire any confidence.”
The first-year player joins a long list of kickers who’ve worn brown and orange since the team parted ways with Dawson, the franchise’s most reliable specialist.
The situation becomes even more remarkable when Pluto contextualizes today’s kicking standards against historical benchmarks. Pluto chronicled how Hall of Fame Browns kicker Lou Groza converted just 55% of his field goals during his career.
“Don Cockroft, who was a good kicker in his time, retired in 1980. He made 67%,” Pluto said. “But you’re getting to really where you almost expected to make 90% of your kicks. ... You’d better make it or you’re gone.”
The Browns’ predicament is frustrating for fans because the front office has tried virtually every approach to solving the problem, from signing veterans to drafting kickers like Cade York, Zane Gonzalez and Austin Seibert over the years.
The revolving door keeps spinning.
“Since Berry and Stefanski came in, they’ve had eight kickers,” Pluto said.
As the Browns prepare to face Baltimore, potential replacements are already being discussed, including Matt Prater, a Cleveland-area native currently on Buffalo’s practice squad.
This isn’t just a Browns problem — it’s an NFL problem — but for the 2025 Browns, whose margins for error are razor-thin, a reliable kicker remains a missing piece.
“I would always have a kicker on the practice squad,” Pluto said. “So if my guy goes south, either because of confidence problems or gets hurt, I got another guy right there.”
For Browns fans hoping for a solution, Pluto’s reminder that “Baltimore did miss an extra point (against Buffalo), and they lost by a point” offers little consolation.
In the NFL’s kicking roulette, Cleveland somehow keeps landing on red while betting black.
Here’s the podcast for this week:
If you have a question or a topic you’d like to see included on the podcast, email it to sports@cleveland.com, and put “Terry’s Talkin’” in the subject line.
You can find previous podcasts below.
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