Dustin Hopkins is doing things that even Phil Dawson couldn’t, and he’s on his way to breaking another Browns record.
Over the last decade or so, Cleveland Browns stadium has been a nightmare for kickers.
Since Phil Dawson last kicked a football through the uprights along the lakefront in 2012, 12 kickers have tried and failed to replicate his success in Northeast Ohio’s punishing weather. The list has grown long enough that another storefront manikin with kicker names rather than quarterback names is required.
Suddenly, a worthy rival to the swirling winds and perilous weather has emerged. Dustin Hopkins is the promised kicker. If you will, I am the chosen one. It turns out that the number 13 is extremely lucky.
“He’s been a great player for us,” Bubba Ventrone, special teams coordinator, said Thursday. “The execution has been excellent, and he’s made the majority of his kicks.” I believe he has done an outstanding job for our team and has placed his trust in our coaching staff, head coach, general manager, and owners.”
It’s more than just a bunch of kicks. A 55-yard field goal in Week 14 that allowed the Browns to seal a win over the Jaguars set a new franchise record for field goals made in a single season. Hopkins surpassed Dawson, the aforementioned legend, who made 30 field goals in 2008. Hopkins has added two more since then, bringing his total to 33 and counting.
Hopkins’ 55-yard field goal was also his eighth made field goal of 50 yards or more this season, a franchise record. Dawson made seven of these kicks in 2011, his second year in Cleveland.
Hopkins has swept the league, currently leading all other AFC kickers in Pro Bowl votes. Being first in two categories (field goals made and field goals beyond 50 yards) helps his case. He also leads the league in total points scored this season with 121. No, this isn’t a dream; Cleveland has a real kicker.
“He’s earned every bit of credit he deserves and I think he should really be, in my mind, get every accolade you could get,” Ventrone said in a statement. I believe he has done an excellent job and has earned it. So he’s been fantastic for us.”
Hopkins wasn’t even on the Browns’ radar four months ago. Cleveland had begun training camp with unwavering confidence in 2022 fourth-round pick Cade York, which quickly faded after he made only 50% of his field goals in preseason action.
Andrew Berry, the Chargers’ general manager, had no choice but to make a move, which he did by acquiring Hopkins for a seventh-round pick. The rest is history, literally, because Hopkins continues to make history, rain or shine.
“I think that his process throughout the week, understanding how he approaches each week, communication with me and the specialists has just been phenomenal,” he said. “It changes so much down there [at the stadium] that it’s difficult to go on a Thursday because whatever you get on Thursday will be completely different than what you get on Sunday.”
“Those guys have been content with just saying, okay, whatever we get that day, we’ll attack it and make the necessary adjustments.” This week, for example, the wind was unlike anything we’d seen so far this season. So heading toward the tunnel was a lot different than the first 15 weeks of the year.”
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