The Cleveland Browns will have no choice but to turn back to Dustin Hopkins for Sunday’s divisional matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals.
They allowed the Atlanta Falcons to sign K Riley Patterson off their practice squad.
Even so, special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone is still confident in his struggling veteran.
According to a report by Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Ventrone claimed that Hopkins made some corrections to his kicks, all of which he made in practice.
Ventrone claimed that his issues weren’t related to mental distress.
He added that holder Rex Sunahara had done a good job subbing in for Charley Hughlett.
#Browns special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone said Dustin Hopkins corrected some things and made all of his kicks in practice last week. He stressed it’s not a mental issue. He said holder Rex Sunahara has done a good job in relief of Charley Hughlett.
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) December 19, 2024
This season, we’ve seen a notable uptick in blocked kicks, punts, and field goals.
Perhaps special teams coordinators have finally cracked the code.
Then again, some of Hopkins’ misses have had nothing to do with the other team.
The veteran has been fairly erratic this year, and while there could be some mechanical issues with his kicks, it’s hard to believe that the constant misses also haven’t taken a toll on his confidence.
We’ve seen kickers go through that same cycle over and over.
They miss and get nervous, then miss because they’re nervous.
Hopefully, one week on the bench will be enough for him to get his act together and return to his usual ways.
He went from being one of the most reliable kickers in the league to missing some kicks that should’ve been automatic.
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