Just when it seemed as though the Cleveland Browns couldn’t suffer any more injuries, they got hit with another big one. During their win on Christmas Eve, kicker Dustin Hopkins injured his hamstring while trying to chase down Dameon Pierce on a 98-yard kickoff return. He was out for the remainder of the game and they eventually lost punter Corey Bojorquez as well.

With Hopkins out, the Browns wound up having to go for it on fourth downs and attempted three two-point conversions after scoring touchdowns. They were more succesful than not which helped them win but going forward, they’re going to need a kicker they can rely on.

Unfortunately, that might not be Hopkins. Following the win, head coach Kevin Stefanski didn’t sound overly optimistic, saying the veteran kicker would be getting an MRI. He stated that he simply didn’t know the extent of the injury.

Hopkins has been playing out of his mind this season, knocking in 33-of-36 field goal attempts. He’s even gone 8-of-8 from beyond 50 yards and was closing in on the franchise record for points scored in a single season before being injured.

Cleveland Browns options are limited but must act quickly
This late in the season, there aren’t a ton of great options available. One would be Robbie Gould but he recently said he was retired. Perhaps he will come back for a few games but if not, players such as Brett Maher and Rodrigo Blankenship are available as well.

Whatever they decide to do, the Browns must act quickly. Their next game is on Thursday night against the New York Jets. They have a short week and might need to overhaul their entire kicking team for their home finale. It’s not a great situation but at this point, overcoming adversity is the norm in Berea.