Kevin Stefanski Was Ready To Cut Andre Szmyt Before the Kicker Broke Browns’ Losing Streak, Confirms Coach

The Cleveland Browns opened their season with a gut-punch 17–16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, and the fallout was ugly. Fans zeroed in on rookie kicker Andre Szmyt, who missed an extra point and botched a 36-yard field goal that could have flipped the result.

Special teams coach Raymond “Bubba” Ventrone admitted in a press Conference on September 25th, 2025, the team had already reached out to other kickers before Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers. Szmyt’s leash was thin.

When asked if the team contacted other kickers, Bubba replied with a vague, “Um, we might have.”

Keeping Sunday in mind, this doesn’t come as a shocker.

With the game tied late, the rookie lined up for a 55-yard attempt — the kind of kick most coaches wouldn’t trust a shaky first-year player to even attempt. Szmyt drilled it, sealing a 13–10 win over Green Bay. In the locker room, head coach Kevin Stefanski delivered a message that cut deeper.

“You’ve been through a lot,” Stefanski told him.  The Browns swarmed their kicker, celebrating their first win of 2025 while rallying around a player who just days earlier was on the verge of losing his job.

The post Kevin Stefanski Was Ready To Cut Andre Szmyt Before the Kicker Broke Browns’ Losing Streak, Confirms Coach appeared first on EssentiallySports.