Lingering Browns Special Teams Question May Finally Be Answered

Most of the attention at the Cleveland Browns’ ongoing organized team activities (OTAs) has been focused on the offense, and rightfully so. Their top three picks in the 2026 NFL Draft were on that side of the ball, not to mention the quarterback competition between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders that could result in a total of nine new starters this season.

The defense has also generated its fair share of headlines, but more for what’s happening off the field with the recent Myles Garrett trade.

So, the Browns’ special teams have been the team’s forgotten unit, and that can be seen as a very good thing. Though they are certainly looking to improve under new coordinator Byron Storer, they do have stability that has been lacking in the past.

As insider Ashley Bastock of Cleveland.com points out, a lingering Browns special teams question may finally be answered, as kicker Andre Szmyt looks to build on a strong rookie season.

“[The] Browns’ kicking game appears more stable,” Bastock wrote. “For once, there’s at least fewer questions in the Browns’ kicking game with Andre Szmyt back. He made 24 of 27 field goal attempts last season, including a five-of-six mark from plus-50 yards. Szmyt didn’t kick during the team’s fifth OTA practice during a hurry-up field goal drill, it was by design as he had kicked in the fourth OTA practice prior and was set to kick in the team’s sixth session on Thursday.”

After finally making his NFL debut three years after leaving college, Szmyt’s NFL career was almost over before it got started. Taking over the job from Dustin Hopkins, in Week 1 last season, Szmyt missed an extra point and a field goal in a one-point loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The backlash was so severe that it was thought he would be replaced almost immediately.

Instead, he responded with a game-winning 55-yard field goal in Week 3 against the Green Bay Packers, and his season went on from there. Now, as Cleveland’s eighth kicker since 2020, he will look to establish a longer tenure at the position.

Along with returning punter Corey Bojorquez, the Browns can focus more on developing the players in their kicking game rather than trying to figure out who they are going to be.