The Cleveland Browns have a new kicker. One day after trading former second-round pick Cade York to the Washington Commanders for a conditional seventh-round pick, the team signed Lucas Havrisik. Havrisik, who will turn 25 at the end of September, spent his college career at Arizona.
Havrisik was an undrafted free agent who was a practice squad kicker for the Indianapolis Colts and the Browns for a brief time last season from late August through October. On October 24, 2023, he was signed by the Los Angeles Rams and saw his first NFL action. Havrisik appeared in nine games, converting 15 out of 20 field goals and 19 out of 22 extra points.
Lucas Havrisik is expected to back up veteran kicker Dustin Hopkins, 33, who joined the Browns after being traded by the Los Angeles Chargers before the 2023 season. Hopkins is coming off one of the best seasons of his 10-year career, converting 33 out of 36 field goals and 24 out of 26 extra points. He was a two-time AFC Special Teams Player of the Week recipient. Hopkins set a record by kicking a field goal of 50 yards or more.
Some may wonder why the Browns exerted so much effort on backup kickers. There was a nominal amount of salary saved $985,00 for York vs. $915,000 for Havrisik. The net gain involved picking up a conditional seventh-round draft pick for York. York was welcomed with open arms in 2022 as the Browns struggled under the Andrew Berry era to find consistent kicking. Even though the Bengals drafted Evan McPherson the year before, and he experienced early success, this draft move was still considered one of the most surprising in the Berry/Stefanski era. York had immediate success with a 58-yard game-ending field goal in 2022’s Week 1 game against the Carolina Panthers, but he struggled after that.
Havrisik could see his first action on Saturday in the team’s final preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks. Hopkins has been dealing with a minor injury but is expected to be ready for Week 1.