It’s been a bit of a journey for 2024 Battlehawks Kicker Andre Szmyt, but it appears that as of right now he’s joining some elite company. After tryouts, a late practice squad addition, a release and a resigning, the Browns have announced they are releasing incumbent Dustin Hopkins and retaining Szmyt as their primary kicker for week 1.
After spending 2024 in the UFL after being cut by the Bears, Szmyt put together a 19/21 campaign with a long of 61 in his lone season in St. Louis. Szmyt was able to find his way on the Browns practice squad late in the 2024 regular season, with the hope of competing with Hopkins for the starting job. Szmyt is set to join several other UFL/USFL/XFL/AAF specialists who have earned almost 70 million dollars since 2019.
Spring Football’s best ambassadors continue to be the Kickers, Punters, and long snappers that continue to grow the league while serving as ambassadors. As the 2025 season progresses based off past seasons, former spring league specialist should be able to continue to make an impact for NFL teams. With Szmyt, Brandon Aubrey, and Jake Bates Spring football players should be able to continue to provide value in hopes of giving future specialist a path to showcase their skills. Szmyt is set to make his NFL debut Sunday, September 7th against the Bengals in week 1.