Cleveland Browns stadium has been a house of horrors for kickers over the last decade or so.
Since Phil Dawson last booted footballs through the uprights along the lakefront in 2012, 12 kickers have tried and failed to replicate his success in the unforgiving weather of Northeast Ohio. The list has grown long enough to warrant another storefront manikin with kicker names instead of quarterbacks.
Suddenly, a worthy challenger has emerged for the swirling winds and dicey weather. Dustin Hopkins is the kicker that was promised. The chosen one, if you will. Turns out No. 13 is pretty lucky.
"He’s been a great player for us," special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone said Thursday. "The execution has been at a high level and fortunately, he’s made a lot of his kicks. I think he’s done a tremendous job for our team and the confidence he has in our coaching staff, the head coach, GM, owners."
It's more than a lot of kicks. A Week 14, 55-yard field that allowed the Browns to close out a win over the Jaguars established a new franchise record for made field goals in a single season. 31 to be exact, as Hopkins surpassed the aforementioned legend, Dawson, who made 30 field goals in 2008. Hopkins has added two since, bringing the record to 33 and counting.
That same 55-yarder marked Hopkins eighth made field goal of 50-plus yards this season as well – another franchise record. Dawson made seven such kicks in 2011, his second to last year in Cleveland.
Hopkins has taken the league by storm and currently leads all other AFC Kickers in Pro Bowl votes. Being No. 1 in the two aforementioned categories (field goals made and field goals beyond 50 yards) helps his case. He's also second in total points scored this season with 121. No, it's not a dream, Cleveland really has a 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. I think he’s done a really good job and he’s earned it. So, he’s been great for us.”
A mere four months ago, Hopkins wasn't even on the Browns radar. Back then, Cleveland had opened up training camp expressing unwavering confidence in 2022 fourth-round pick Cade York, which quickly dissipated after he made just 50-percent of his field goals in preseason action.
General Manager, Andrew Berry had no choice but to make a move and he did, acquiring Hopkins for a seventh-round pick from the Chargers. The rest is history, literally, because Hopkins continues to make history, unpredictable weather be damned.
"I think that his process throughout the week, understanding how he approaches each week, communication with me and the specialists has just been phenomenal," Ventrone explained. "It changes so much down [at the stadium] that it’s hard to go down on like a Thursday because whatever you get on Thursday is going to be completely different than you get on Sunday.
"Those guys have been content about just, okay, whatever we get that day, we’ll attack it, make the adjustments. Like this past week, the wind was way different than we’ve seen at any point in this season. So going toward the tunnel was way different than we’ve had the first 15 weeks of the year.”
The Browns have won four games on a Hopkins' game-winning kick, including last week's win over the Bears. Two others may have ended differently if not for a field goal he made at some point on that respective day. He's been a God send and there's no telling where this season would be without him.
With Dawson in the rearview mirror Hopkins is closing in on another Browns legend: Jim Brown, who's franchise record 126 points scored in a single season is in jeopardy of coming down at the hands - rather – the foot, of Hopkins.
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