Andre Szmyt’s long road ends with a game-winning kick for the Browns

CINCINNATI — After nan Browns mislaid to nan Bengals successful Week 1, first-year kicker Andre Szmyt had to guidelines successful beforehand of his locker astatine Huntington Bank Field and reply questions astir missing a 36-yard section extremity and an other constituent that costs nan Browns successful a 17-16 game.

Sunday, Szmyt stood successful nan Browns locker room astatine Paycor Stadium while caput coach Kevin Stefanski held up a crippled ball.

“You cannot constitute this book amended than this,” Stefanski said successful his postgame reside posted to nan Browns X account. “Week 1, we struggled arsenic a shot team, and we stuck pinch you because we judge successful you.”

Stefanski tossed Szmyt nan ball.

“I’m proud of you,” he said. “This one’s for you.”

Szmyt connected connected a 49-yard section extremity arsenic clip expired connected nan Browns play to nonstop them retired winners against nan Bengals successful Week 18, 20-18.

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The 27-year-old kicker from Syracuse who won a kicking conflict against Dustin Hopkins successful training camp, struggled to put into words what it meant to beryllium successful nan position he was successful astir 4 months aft 1 of his worst games.

“It’s a chaotic journey,” he said. “I’m benignant of astatine a nonaccomplishment for words.”

It has been a challenging twelvemonth for Szmyt, whose mother, Lala, died unexpectedly connected July 10, days earlier he reported to training campy to statesman fighting for nan occupation he has now.

After he missed those kicks against nan Bengals, nan Browns held patient connected him arsenic their kicker. Their patience paid disconnected 2 weeks later erstwhile he made a game-winning footwear successful an upset complete nan Packers successful Week 3.

Szmyt has made 23-of-25 section goals since Week 1 and each 24 of his other points.

“Guy’s been a stud since (Week 1),” near defender Joel Bitonio said. “In campy he made a batch of kicks and unfortunate first start, but shot and nan world has a funny measurement of putting him backmost successful nan spot to person to make a large kick.”

The assurance level successful Szmyt is truthful precocious astatine this point, that Stefanski told information Grant Delpit, who collapsed up a 2-point effort by nan Bengals pinch 1:29 near to support it a 1-point game, that nan seasoned information had conscionable won them nan contest.

“I told Grant arsenic he came disconnected nan field, ‘Dude, that play, you conscionable won nan crippled because we’re astir to footwear a section goal,’” Stefanski said.

The 49-yard footwear was regular for Szmyt, particularly because nan Browns group him up for 2 agelong other points earlier successful nan game. Two taunting penalties connected 2 protect touchdowns meant Szmyt had to person 48-yard kicks and he nailed both.

“I benignant of joked pinch him, I was like, we sewage you warmed up for nan past 1 connected a mates of those PATs,” Bitonio said. “So I mean, it’s immense what he went done this summertime pinch his family and worldly and to travel retired and show that he tin footwear successful this convention is what it’s each about.”

The kicking position is 1 reply nan Browns tin consciousness comfortable astir heading into an offseason of uncertainty. Kicking occurrence successful nan NFL tin beryllium fickle — conscionable inquire Bengals kicker Evan McPherson, nan poster kid for clutch kicking during Cincinnati’s Super Bowl tally successful 2021 who had an other constituent blocked and missed different connected Sunday.

Even nan kicker Szmyt replaced, Hopkins, felt for illustration arsenic judge a point arsenic nan squad has had astatine nan position going backmost to Phil Dawson until it fell isolated for him past season.

Still, nan Browns tin consciousness assured successful Szmyt’s early arsenic they perchance navigate a remade coaching unit that could see a caller typical teams coordinator.

“It’s incredible, and I’m excited to activity and hopefully I’m present for a agelong time,” he said, “and I tin conscionable support getting better.”

It has been a winding travel for Szmyt to Cleveland. He was primitively signed by nan Bears arsenic an undrafted free supplier successful 2023 and spent portion of nan 2024 play connected nan Browns’ believe squad. He besides played for nan UFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks.

This came aft he won nan Lou Groza Award arsenic assemblage football’s champion kicker arsenic a redshirt freshman successful 2018. He spent six seasons astatine Syracuse.

It was a agelong and winding roadworthy for Szmyt to get from location to making this footwear that included a detour successful Week 1 that astir kickers don’t survive.

“This convention is truthful temporary,” protect tackle Shelby Harris said. “You tin make a play 1 week and past messiness up nan adjacent week and get trim nan adjacent week. That’s conscionable really this convention is. And truthful Dre’s done a really bully occupation of, retired of sight, retired of mind. Last week is past week, past footwear is nan past footwear and past moving forward.”

Szmyt went from a subordinate his squad could person abandoned to a leader successful Week 18

“I honestly don’t judge anyone connected that sideline had immoderate uncertainty successful their mind that nan shot was going done nan uprights,” Stefanski said. “That’s conscionable who that kid is.”