Who Should I Start? Dustin Hopkins or Jake Bates

Tuesday, August 26, 3:18 PM

The Cleveland Brown released kicker Dustin Hopkin on Tuesday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. It appears that Andre Szmyt will open the 2025 regular season as the team's placekicker, although the Browns could still bring in more competition before Week 1. Hopkins will be let go after spending the last two seasons kicking for Cleveland, where he went 51-for-63 on his field-goal attempts (81%) and 41-for-46 on his extra-point tries in 31 total games. The final straw for the 34-year-old veteran might have been when he missed one of his two extra-point tries in the preseason finale on Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams. Hopkins entered training camp on shaky ground at the position after going 18-for-27 on his field goals in 16 games a year ago.

Saturday, October 18, 11:02 PM

Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates has benefited from his team's high-powered offense through the first six weeks of the season, as Bates has both attempted and made the most extra-point tries (24) in the NFL. The 26-year-old has also knocked in seven of nine field goal attempts. The Lions will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7 in what looks on paper like a high-scoring affair. The two teams are currently averaging a combined 59.3 points per contest. Bates will also have the advantage in Week 7 of kicking at home inside the domed Ford Field, so weather will not play a factor in the kicking game. Bates profiles as a must-start kicker in Week 7 against Tampa Bay.