The story of the Cleveland Browns post-Baker Mayfield victory in Week 1 of the 2022 season will be told starting with rookie kicker Cade York. York’s game-winner from 58 yards has fans believing they finally have a franchise-level kicker.
York didn’t just hit his final field goal. York accounted for 14 of the Browns 26 points going 4 of 4 on field goal attempts and 2 of 2 on extra points. York made kicks of 26, 34 and 36 look easy.
Even his game-winning 58-yarder looked like it would be good from much further. Jim Donovan’s call of the kick was great as well.
While some questioned the team’s decision to use a fourth-round pick on a kicker, York put his stamp on his career early. Not only did he hit the game-winner but he has the second-longest game-winner by a kicker:
This 58-yard field goal by @YorkCade marked the 2nd-longest game-winning field goal in the final 2 minutes of the 4th quarter or in OT by a rookie in @NFL history.
Only Jake Elliott's 61-yarder in Week 3, 2017 was longer. https://t.co/GnzFycqw9t
— NFL345 (@NFL345) September 11, 2022
Expectations will only continue to rise for York moving forward. While perfection may be too much to ask, fans will finally be able to breathe a little easier when the team brings out the kicking unit. That sense of relief is well worth the fourth-round pick.
