There's been a blatant difference in the leg of Cleveland Browns kicker Andre Szmyt.
The talented, first-year NFL kicker started off his career in the league on a pretty rough note. In Week One, with the game being close against the Cincinatti Bengals, Szmyt missed a field goal and PAT that would've won the outing for the Browns. Leaving four points off the board is going to upset any team, any fanbase and this case was no different.
Many called for the release of Szmyt just one week after the year began, but just two weeks later he would belt a game-winner through the uprights against the Green Bay Packers.
After the game, head coach Kevin Stefanski praised the kicker.
"I’m really proud of that young man," Stefanski said. "I’m happy for that young man. He’s been through a lot, and he came through...You know, this is the NFL. It’s hard. You’re going to go up against some tough teams and some tough matchups, and you have to fight, scratch and claw."
That Week One bump in the road is the only one he's suffered this year. Since then, its been nothing but uphill.
"Yeah, I think obviously a lot more confident," Szmyt told the Beacon Journal a few weeks back. "Just kind of settling into what the NFL is and just seeing that it really is no different. Just kicking a ball, that actual thing I do, is no different. So just kind of realizing that and just building off that and going in week in, week out and just having my process and doing my routine.
"I think that's what builds the confidence."
This past weekend when playing host to the Baltimore Ravens, the team had to rely upon his leg an awful lot. He made kicks from 24 yards, 30 yards and 46 yards out in tough, windy conditions from Huntington Bank Field. He also pushed through a PAT after a Devin Bush pick-six.
Kicking in wind like that, with spurts of 30+ mph conditions, is no easy task. Many kickers, both Browns and others around the league, have historically struggled to connect on kicks with how close Cleveland's stadium is to the lake.
The only kicks he's missed this season, outside of Week One against the Bengals, were from 40+ and 50+ yards out. One coming against the New England Patriots in a 32-13 loss and the other in a 34-10 loss to the Detroit Lions.
His long in 2025 has come from 55 yards out, marking a pretty strong and accurate leg.
The 27-year-old took this starting job over former Browns kicker, Dustin Hopkins. In his first year with Cleveland he was electric, but then fell far from grace before posting some of the worst kicking marks in the league. He was cut by the Browns in the preseason in favor of Szmyt.
With a minimum of 15 kicks in their career's in Cleveland, Szymt ranks fifth in percentage behind the legs of Travis Coons, Greg Joseph, Phil Dawson and Austin Seibert. Szmyt is currently connecting on 83.3% of his attempts.
As long as Szmyt keeps his head clear and stays weary of the upcoming December weather conditions, he will be poised to continue having a consistent campaign in 2025.