Cade York Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

It appears that the Cleveland Browns have played themselves.

The Browns surprised the NFL world on Monday by releasing young kicker Cade York. Cleveland decided to make a trade for a more seasoned kicker instead, and thus York’s services were no longer needed.

Though York had a brutal preseason, his release was a bit of a stunner since the Browns just used a fourth-round pick on York last year. Drafting a kicker that high is always a divisive move, but Cleveland got a chance to rub it in everyone’s faces after York kicked a game-winning field goal against the Carolina Panthers in Week 1 last season.

“THAT’S WHY YOU DRAFT A KICKER!!!!” the Browns giddily tweeted at the time in all caps.

Fast-forward less than a year later though, and York is now off the team. That one didn’t age quite so well.

Nevertheless, York is only 22 years old and was a respectable 24/32 (75.0 percent) on field goals and 35/37 (94.6 percent) on extra points last season. With his unwavering confidence in himself on top of that, York should still have a strong future in the NFL (though it won’t come with the Browns).

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