Cleveland Browns kicker Andre Szmyt, right, reacts after missing a field goal against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7, 2025, in Cleveland. Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Browns legend says kicker Andre Szmyt deserves another chance

Originally posted on Cleveland Browns on SI
By Jack O'Rourke | Last updated Sep 12, 2025 11:48 AM ET

Andre Szmyt’s NFL debut didn’t go as he had hoped.

The former Lou Groza Award winner missed an extra point and a 36-yard field goal, which led some to pin the 17-16 loss to the Bengals on him. The Browns decided that Szmyt will handle the kicking duties again this weekend and did not bring in any kickers for competition this week. While analysts such as Nick Pedone are upset about the kicking situation, not everyone feels that way.

Hanford Dixon, legendary Browns cornerback and co-host of The Top Dawgs Show on the BIGPLAY Sports Network, rushed to take Szmyt’s side.

“It was absolutely terrible, obviously it cost us the game,” Dixon said. “But I’m willing to give him another chance.”

Dixon is against bringing in other external options such as the recently released former third-round pick Jake Moody. “

Why do we need to bring him (Moody) in here?” Dixon asked. “San Francisco released him!”

Could Dixon’s philosophy to give Szmyt some run pay off?

"I'm willing to give him another chance."@HanfordDixon29 wants to see Andre Szmyt continue kicking for the time being, and the Jake Moody narrative needs to STOP. #DawgPound

Presented by @smartchoicewin_ https://t.co/X2IWJiLwKh pic.twitter.com/PAYS6HWj9l
— The Top Dawgs Show (@TopDawgShow) September 10, 2025

There are two sides to this argument. Could one consider it slightly irresponsible to not entertain a new kicker after a rookie played a deciding factor in a divisional game? Sure. But you can’t learn everything from one game.

Szmyt’s senior by a few years, Cade York burst onto the scene as a drafted rookie kicker and knocked through a 58-yard game-winner to beat the Carolina Panthers in his debut. Everyone remembers the infamous “that’s why you draft a kicker” tweet. York, despite a stellar start, went 24-for-32 on field goals that season and lost his job to Hopkins by the end of the 2023 preseason.

Wil Lutz, a 10-year NFL veteran kicker, may have sympathy for Szmyt. Lutz’s Saints lost his debut 35-34 back in 2016, and two missed field goals by the rookie were the difference. Lutz had the blessing of kicking in a dome for the better half of his NFL career, but his story still stands as a north star for Szmyt. Lutz righted the ship, cashing 28-of-34 field goal attempts, and spent his next three seasons hitting above an 85 percent clip.

While it’s no easy ask for Szmyt to follow Lutz’s redemption story, it’s a reminder that in the wild world of professional placekicking, anything can happen, just like York’s cautionary tale.

The Browns brought in Szmyt toward the end of the 2024 season, and he won a preseason kicking competition against veteran Dustin Hopkins. Cleveland will travel to Baltimore where the rookie kicker will have another opportunity against the Baltimore Ravens.

This article first appeared on Cleveland Browns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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