The Cleveland Browns should extend this key special teams contributor

Its too early to tell, but the Cleveland Browns may have found their starting kicker for the foreseeable future.

For quite some time now, the Browns have been searching for a guy to lock down his spikes, square away a football and blast it through the uprights with consistency. However, since the loss of the legendary Phil Dawson, the Browns haven't been able to find someone.

Just a few years back, the front office even tried to answer the issue by drafting a kicker, something frowned upon in the league.

But, when all hope seemed lost, and the Browns would never break the curse, Andre Szmyt entered the picture.

The consistent, 27-year-old, signed a one-year deal worth $840,000 back before the 2025 season began. Now, as the year approaches its close and his contract is set to expire, the front office should look to extend him at least for another season.

After Week One blunders, Szmyt bounced back and became one of the most reliable kickers in the past few years for the Browns. Heading into Week 14, he currently has a posted field goal percentage of 84.2%, making 16 kicks on 19 attempts. He also has one game-winner on the season.

On PATs, the former top kicker in the nation in college, has missed just one with a percentage of 94.7%.

Yes, you'd like your kicker to never miss, but Huntington Bank Field is one of the hardest places to make kicks at. If the Browns can find a guy that can make a majority of their kicks and showcase very little hiccups, they should grab them, hold on and never let go.

Szmyt has also shown a bit of power in his leg, smashing a 57-yard long this season along with two other makes on kicks over 50 yards.

His volume hasn't been terribly high this season, especially due to the struggles of the Browns' offense this season. However, he's shown that when called upon, he can answer the challenge.

When the Browns played host to the Baltimore Ravens at home back on Sunday, Nov. 16, he made three field goals and one PAT. His field goals, which were made in unfavorable, cold weather, directly kept Cleveland in the game and with hopes of pulling off a win.

Although they ultimately fell, 23-16, Szmyt accounted for 10 of the team's points.

Its still a young point in his kicking career, but he's showing signs of being a long-term solution for the Browns. They must look to lock him down for the 2026 season, at least giving him one more year to continue growing before they commit to him with a long-term deal.

With a minimum of 15 kicks in their careers in Cleveland, Szymt ranks fifth in field goal percentage behind the legs of Travis Coons, Greg Joseph, Phil Dawson and Austin Seibert. That's elite company to be in conversation with.

As long as Szmyt continues to stay ready for the upcoming December weather conditions in Cleveland, he has a strong chance to continue to prove that he deserves to stay in The Land for a minimum of another season.