For the Cleveland Browns and their fans, Thursday’s Hall of Fame Game had some genuine moments of encouragement. They beat the New York Jets 21-16 and saw a lot of positive signs from rookie quarterback, Dorian Thompson-Robinson. But not everything went well.
In 2022, the Browns used a fourth-round pick on kicker Cade York. That move paid immediate dividends when he drilled a 58-yard kick in the final seconds of Week 1’s game against the Carolina Panthers to secure a 26-24 victory. But the season overall was a struggle. York was 24-for-32 on field goals and 35-for-37 on extra points.
York attempted a 49-yard field goal in the first quarter of Thursday’s game against the Jets. And if anyone had forgotten about York’s accuracy issues as a rookie, this kick was a reminder of them.
First NFL Clip of the Season: Browns kicker Cade York misses a 49 yard field goal attempt. pic.twitter.com/DyPqIfXtZS
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulli) August 4, 2023
And while preseason results should generally be taken with a huge grain of salt, it’s hard to dismiss a field goal. This is particularly true when the snap and hold are fine and there’s little-to-no wind.
Tomorrow we're going to be told we're overreacting about Cade York. "It was only 1 kick in a meaningless game!"
Look at the FG post flags. Zero wind, perfect snap, perfect hold. And that ball never had a chance. This is a 4th Rd pick in Year 2. This is a problem folks. #Browns pic.twitter.com/hMOF645IGh
— Roberto Shenanigans (@Rob_Shenanigans) August 4, 2023
York settled in better after the miss. The Browns didn’t try another field goal, but he was perfect on three extra points.
Still, the bad miss from 49 was hard to ignore.
Cade York misses from 49… pic.twitter.com/ztdHQPK1XA
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) August 4, 2023
Death, taxes, and missed Cade York FGs
— Billy Muzio (@FFMuzio) August 4, 2023
Nobody:
Cade York on the first field goal of the preseason: pic.twitter.com/ZE1CF0ehY2
— FanDuel (@FanDuel) August 4, 2023
Cade York still throws a lot of screwballs.
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) August 4, 2023
A bad kick can happen to anyone. But after a trying rookie season, it’s doubtful that York will have much wiggle room left if those continue.
