CLEVELAND — Andre Szmyt walked off the field on Sunday after making two field goals and an extra point, responsible for seven of the Browns' 13 points in their win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. As he headed toward the tunnel for the last time in his debut season with the Browns, he was surrounded by his fellow specialists, punter Corey Bojorquez and long snapper Rex Sunahara. The group has been tight-knit all year, and their support, along with others around the team, helped Szmyt change the narrative about him after his Week 1 struggles.
Szmyt's season began with a rocky NFL debut. In the Week 1 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, Szmyt missed an extra point attempt and later a 36-yard field goal in a game the Browns lost by just one point. The misses had many questioning his future with the team, with some even calling for his job and demanding the Browns cut him.
What many didn't realize was that Szmyt was working through deep personal loss at the start of the season. Szmyt's mom, Lala, died unexpectedly in July. Szmyt has leaned on playing well in her honor, and while the first game could have shaken him, the kicker persevered through those struggles—and the Browns stuck with him.
"He will [kick Sunday], yeah," head coach Kevin Stefanski said in September following the Week 1 loss. "A young player who will only get better. Obviously, he wants to come through in those moments. We expect him to come through in those moments, but just like any player on our roster, he'll continue to get better."
After his first week, Szmyt hit all of his extra points, now 23-for-24 with one game remaining. He's hit all of his field goal attempts since October; his only other two misses were a 47-yarder against the Patriots and a 56-yarder against the Lions. He's been the definition of consistency for most of the season, and his teammates couldn't be happier to see it.
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"Just the relationship with Andre, for sure, we had a conversation when he was going through it and then since then it's been nothing but up. So, I'm very happy that he was able to get out of that hole that he was in and that he's able to see the other side of things," said quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
For those who have been on the Browns for a long time, like 12-year veteran guard Joel Bitonio, there's a deep understanding of how difficult kicking in Cleveland can be. From the weather and wind off the neighboring Lake Erie, conditions make it difficult for the most seasoned kickers, let alone someone in their first year. The fact that Szmyt was able to work through that, along with everything else on his plate, made his turnaround even more impressive to his teammates.
"Dre's been great. This place, this division, has to be one of the tougher divisions to kick in. No inside stadiums, the weather is the weather here. And he's just focused on each kick and made plays and he's really done a great job for us," Bitonio said.
After the Browns' victory over the Steelers, defensive tackle Shelby Harris made sure to issue the reminder that a major part of the win, which saw a number of strong defensive stands, was the seven points Szmyt scored off his foot.
"He struggled that first game and he really changed a lot of stuff after that. Because you had people calling for his job after the first game and look at the season he's had. He's put it together. He's shown he's one of the better kickers in this league and with more experience, you're going to see Andre just get better and better in these situations. And so he was a big part of that win today and I just don't want people to forget about that. Andre is a legit kicker in this league. He's going to be around for a long time," Harris said.
For Szmyt, the support from the team has been monumental, and he's grateful for it, especially in a league that has evolved so quickly to move on from kickers. Even more, he's grateful for a win to close out his first season at Huntington Bank Field.
"It feels good. It feels good getting the win first of all, but it feels good doing it with the guys, Rex, Corey, it's an amazing feeling to get a win," Szmyt said.
As for his turnaround, for Szmyt it was all about sticking to what he knows and letting his development continue week in and week out.
"I think we came such a long way just developing-wise and I have such a great group around me, Bubba [Ventrone], head coach Kevin, and Rex, Corey and everybody, just supportive and have been there for me, so it just means a lot," he said.
