With the final cuts around the NFL on Tuesday, the Cleveland Browns might want to think about getting rid of their punter because depending on Cade York’s leg strength so far, the Browns might never need to kick again. clearance.
The Browns rookie was the first placekicker selected in this year’s draft – he was selected in the fourth round — and he showed one of the reasons why during his warm-up ahead of Cleveland’s 21-20 preseason loss to Chicago over the weekend. Before the game, York decided to go for a field goal from 70 yards and he actually drilled it.
If you’ve never seen someone throw a 70-yard field goal, here’s what it looks like.
Just so there’s no confusion: A 70-yard field goal is kicked out of your OWN 40-yard line.
Here’s another angle of the kick that gives you a better idea of how York hit the ball.
To put that kick into perspective, the longest field goal ever in an NFL game is 66 yards, which was done by Justin Tucker last season. Besides Tucker’s bombshell, no other player in NFL history has ever made a field goal for 65 yards or more in a regular season game. Although York had it a little easier here – there was no defense trying to block the kick and he had no mental pressure to deal with – the kick was still impressive, because once again , IT WAS 70 YARDS.
The Browns let York show off his leg strength in the game against the Bears with two attempts for 57 or more yards. His first attempt, which was 58, went wide left. However, York broke through on his second attempt of the game with a 57-yard second quarter.
If York is lucky enough to score a field goal from 60 yards or more this season, he will join a rare club. Only 21 kickers in NFL history have hit a field goal of 60 or more in a game, which is a list York would likely like to join at some point.
York also showed he has the leg to hit 70 yards. There have only been six field goal attempts of 70 or more in NFL history and they have all failed. The most recent actually came last season when Denver’s Brandon McManus blocked a 70-yard attempt by the Raiders in Week 17 (McManus actually hit a 70 yards during a live practice in 2015so it wasn’t a completely crazy attempt by Denver).
NFL kickers are 1 for 32 all-time when attempting a field goal for 65 yards or more, with Tucker’s 66 yard being the only one to do so.
Don’t be surprised if we see a kicker or two trying to break Tucker’s record in the next few years. Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker recently said he thinks he can hit a 70-yarder if everything falls into place.
“I mean, the conditions must be good. It must be hot, probably windy at your back,” Butker told KansasCity.com earlier this month. “But I feel like I have the distance for it, definitely.”
York also has the distance to hit from 70, and it looks like it will only be a matter of time before someone hits one. The only problem with long field goals is that sometimes coaches are hesitant to try them, even though they can do it just before that half. This is mainly because if a long field goal fails, then the play turns into a kick return and your field goal team turns into a kickoff coverage team, which is not not ideal considering that a field goal team is essentially nine linemen, a starter, and a kicker.