Andre Szmyt, who last played for the St. Louis Blackhawks of the UFL, was signed by the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday. Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.
Cleveland — The Browns gave kicker Dustin Hopkins a game off against the Chiefs in Week 15 and now, after Hopkins missed an extra point against the Bengals on Sunday, they are adding a kicker to their practice squad once again.
Andre Szmyt was added to the practice squad, the team announced on Tuesday. He is officially in his first NFL season out of Syracuse. Originally signed by the Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2023, he spent 2024 with the St. Louis Blackhawks of the UFL.
Hopkins, who was signed to a three-year contract extension in the offseason after a strong 2023, has struggled in his second season with the Browns. He has made just 16 of 25 field goal attempts and he missed his third extra point of the season on Sunday, his only kick of the day.
“It’s been a battle this year, so it’s absolutely frustrating,” Hopkins said after the game. “It feels like a lot of work down the drain for the opportunity you get is what it feels like. So I got to dig deep into the tool bag again and get myself to a place where I believe in it again, believe in the swing, and then go out there and try again next week.”
The Browns sat Hopkins against the Chiefs after he missed two kicks against the Steelers in Week 14. They signed Riley Patterson to the practice squad and elevated him for Week 15 but turned back to Hopkins after the Falcons signed Patterson away from them.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski has remained firm in his support for Hopkins through his struggles, including on Sunday.
“We’ve just got to continue to work through it and that’s what we’re going to do,” he said after the game.
Following a 2023 season in which Hopkins saved the Browns’ kicking game after it had to move on from fourth-round pick Cade York, Hopkins lost whatever magic allowed him to make 33 of 36 attempts, including all eight of from 50 yards. He made game-winning kicks in back-to-back weeks against Baltimore and Pittsburgh.
After starting this season by making 10 of 12 field goals in his first six games, he has made just 6 of 13 in his last eight and 2 of 7 in his last five games.
Szmyt made 85 of 105 attempts in six seasons at Syracuse and led the FBS in makes, attempts and points as a redshirt freshman in 2018, when the former walk-on won the Lou Groza Award, given to the nation’s best kicker.
He is Syracuse’s all-time leader in points.
