CLEVELAND — NFL teams have until 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday to trim their rosters down to 53 players, but the Cleveland Browns have already made a significant move.
The Browns have agreed to a trade to acquire kicker Dustin Hopkins from the Los Angeles Chargers for a 2025 seventh-round pick. After acquiring Hopkins, Cleveland plans to cut second-year kicker Cade York, according to NFL Insider Jordan Schultz.
The Browns' decision to cut York brings an end to an up-and-down career in Cleveland for the former LSU kicker. The Browns selected York in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, tabbing the second-team All-American as their kicker of the future.
After impressing fans and reporters alike with his booming kicks in training camp, York's Cleveland career got off to a strong start as he kicked a 58-yard game-winning field goal in the Browns' Week 1 win over the Carolina Panthers. The 2020 first-team All-SEC selection finished his rookie season making 75 percent of his field goal attempts (24-for-32) and 35 of his 37 extra point tries.
While he may not have been as automatic as many envisioned he'd be after Cleveland selected him in the fourth round of the draft, York entered the 2023 campaign as the Browns' presumed starter -- and without any competition on the roster. The 22-year-old, however, failed to find consistency throughout the preseason, making just four of his eight field goal tries in preseason action, including two missed potential game-winners.
Having spent time in his career with the Buffalo Bills, New Orleans Saints Washington Football Team and the Chargers, Hopkins has made 190 of 224 career field goal tries (84.8%). Last season, he connected on 9 of 10 field goal tries in five games before suffering a season-ending hamstring injury.
The Browns will open the 2023 season on Sunday, Sept. 10, when they host the Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns Stadium.