The Browns' patience and understanding with slumping kicker Dustin Hopkins is rooted in the challenges he's facing in his family life.
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Takeaways from Browns interviews …
There’s a human side to every player on a team during a winning season or a losing season.
And in the case of Dustin Hopkins, the human side helps to explain the patience and understanding coach Kevin Stefanski and GM Andrew Berry are exhibiting in dealing with the kicker’s struggles on the field.
Hopkins is a deeply religious man who left his wife and two kids in Nashville, TN, because his oldest son, Wake, 7, has non-verbal autism and attends a special needs school there. Hopkins and wife Gabrielle founded The Well Foundation to assist families on the autism spectrum.
Hopkins struggles being away from his family, leaving Gabrielle to tend to Wake and another infant son.
During portions of the past two seasons, the Browns have permitted Hopkins to commute to his home early in the week to be with his family.
Of course, homesickness didn’t affect Hopkins in his career-year of 2023, and nobody is blaming his 2024 slump on it, either.
But it helps to explain the support the Browns are trying hard to provide him, even as they added kicker Riley Patterson to the practice squad this week.
Stefanski never alluded directly to Hopkins’ personal life when addressing questions about the kicking situation.
“The thought process [in] bringing in Riley, [he’s] guy that we know was in here last year,” Stefanski said. “We’ll work through all those types of decisions this week. Don’t have a final decision [on Sunday’s kicker]. Dustin’s our kicker, but we’ll work through all that.”
Asked if Hopkins might need a break to clear his mind and work on fundamentals, Stefanski said, “I think it’s all those things we need to just work through. And like I told you guys the other day, Dustin’s a guy that I trust. He’s a veteran that has been through a lot in his career and he will work through this. We’ll work through this one together.”
Jameis Winston, also a man of faith, was a teammate of Hopkins’ at Florida State in 2012, and has been one of the kicker’s biggest supporters through his difficult stretch of recent games. Hopkins has missed 6 of 9 field goals over the last five games, and has nine misses this year after missing but three times in 36 attempts in 2023.
Winston said, “You know, we had a great talk on Thanksgiving because it’s been challenging for Dustin because his family hasn’t been able to be with him because his amazing wife has been taking care of Wake and their youngest son back home.
“So, Dustin is a family man and I think in terms of his schedule, in terms of his preparation, he requires to have his loved ones around him. That’s how he functions. So, I know that has been definitely challenging him.
“But he also knows the responsibility that he has in this building. So, I just continue to lift him up and continue to encourage him, ‘Hey, man, like, look who you doing it for. You are strong and courageous. You are an amazing human being. So don’t focus on what you’re lacking.’
“And right now, he’s lacking that love and affection from his family. ‘Just focus on what you have, man. And I know I can’t give to you what your wife can give to you, but, man, I love you, and I’m going to be there for you regardless of the circumstances.’”
Hopkins’ back-story explains why nobody in that locker room is blaming him for anything and why everyone is pulling for him to get through this bad stretch.
Haslam backs Berry and Stefanski
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam gave his top two football men “the dreaded” vote of confidence when cornered at NFL owners meetings in suburban Dallas on Wednesday.
Asked if he believes GM Andrew Berry and Stefanski are the right persons to fix the Browns after a disastrous season, Haslam told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, “I do. We do. We’re very supportive.”
Haslam said it’s “a little perplexing” why the team has sunk from 11-6 and a playoff berth last year to 3-10 so far this season. That eight-win slide is the largest year-to-year in the history of the Browns.
Haslam did not offer much insight on the team’s plans at quarterback in the wake of Deshaun Watson’s Achilles tendon injury and onorous salary cap issues.
“We need to get through the season and we will look at everything,” Haslam said.
“We’re all disappointed. We’ve got a lot of work to do. We’ll go back and go to work.
“I’ve learned not to get too emotional during the season. We will sit down after the season, go through everything for next year.”
Fuggetaboutit
With the Browns going nowhere and Nick Chubb laboring at a 3.1 yards per carry pace through seven games of his comeback from two surgeries on his left knee, the running back was asked if there is conversation about perhaps shutting him down to better prepare for a refreshed 2025 season.
Chubb sneered at the very thought.
“I have a long way to go before I shut anything down,” Chubb said. “Every time I go out there, it’s practice reps, game reps, it’s me just getting better physically, mentally, all around.
“So I’m nowhere near shutting it down. Not even a thought.”
Brownie bits
Stefanski was asked about ex-Browns running back Kareem Hunt, who leads the Chiefs with 608 rushing yards and 5 TDs. “Kareem looks good,” the coach said. “Yeah, I mean, Kareem is obviously a person and a player that I have a ton of respect for. He’s elite in short yardage, which we’ve seen firsthand. He’s elite in the screen game, which we’ve seen firsthand. He runs hard, he looks good.” So I asked why Hunt was not re-signed by the Browns this year after leading them with 9 TD last year. “There’s always roster decisions that get made for a variety of reasons, but it doesn’t change the fact that Kareem was a really important person, a really important part of this football team,” he replied …
Tight end David Njoku (hamstring) was among three players who were DNP at practice. Stefanski termed him “day to day” …
Defensive end Myles Garrett (personal) and guard Joel Bitonio (back) were the other DNPs.