Washington Commanders release kicker Cade York, meaning Browns won't get 7th-round pick

The Browns sent kicker Cade York to the Washington Commanders last month. The return for the kicker was a conditional seventh-round pick.

Part of the conditions on that pick was that York spend at least two regular-season games on the Washington roster.

The Commanders released York on Monday , a day after he went 0 of 2 on field goals in their opening-day loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Since he didn't make it through their Week 2 game, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, the conditions on the pick nullify the deal.

That means one less seventh-round pick for the Browns to use in next April's draft. The Commanders, meanwhile, signed another ex-Cleveland kicker, Austin Seibert, on Monday.

York spent time with the Browns during at least the last three training camps after they made him a fourth-round pick out of LSU in 2022. He stayed on the roster throughout his rookie season, but was cut two days after the preseason finale in 2023 and replaced when Cleveland traded for Dustin Hopkins.

York's first go-around with the Browns started with a game-winning 58-yard field goal in the 2022 season opener at the Carolina Panthers, which earned him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. He set franchise rookie records for points (107) and point-after kicks (35), while finishing second for field goals made (24) that season.

York also had wild bouts of inconsistency at times, which bubbled over into the preseason in 2023. That culminated in the preseason finale at the Kansas City Chiefs, when a potential game-winning field goal was blocked, his final kick before being cut.

After being released by the Browns, York spent time on the practice squads of the Tennessee Titans and New York Giants. He was signed to the Giants' active roster, but did not make an appearance and finished the season on injured reserve with a quad injury.

The second go-around in Cleveland saw York basically handle all of the kicking chores in the preseason while Hopkins nursed what coach Kevin Stefanski termed a minor injury. York was 2 of 2 on field goal, including a 55-yarder in the preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers, and 2 of 2 on point-after kicks.

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Washington Commanders release kicker Cade York, meaning Browns won't get 7th-round pick