Browns trading kicker Cade York to Commanders for 7th round pick, AP source says

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Browns have traded kicker Cade York to the Washington Commanders for a conditional seventh-round draft pick, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Thursday.

York returned to the Browns this offseason after the 2022 draft pick from LSU was released by the team at the end of the preseason last year.

Now he’s on his way to Washington for a 2025 selection, said the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the teams have not announced the swap.

York has handled the kicking duties during the exhibition season for Cleveland while Dustin Hopkins recovers from a hamstring injury.

York made a 55-yard field goal in the preseason opener against Green Bay and a 33-yarder last week against Minnesota.

The 23-year-old York said he had turned his life around during the offseason by finding his faith. He had hit rock bottom eight months ago when an injury prevented him from being called up by the New York Giants practice squad.

The Browns were so enticed by York’s powerful leg that they took him with the No. 124 overall selection in 2022. He made a game-winning, 58-yard kick in the final seconds to beat Carolina and had a relatively strong rookie season, making 24 of 32 field goals.

However, he struggled during last year’s exhibitions and the Browns cut him after a poor performance against Kansas City.

The team then acquired Hopkins in a trade from the Los Angeles Chargers and the 33-year-old went 33 of 36 on field goals, making all eight from 50 yards and beyond.

Hopkins got hurt on a kickoff return late in the season and missed Cleveland’s wild-card game in Houston.