CLEVELAND — Andre Szmyt has the total trust of his teammates.
So when he trotted onto the field for the winning 56-yard field goal in the final seconds Thursday night, safety Grant Delpit was already focused on what the defense needed to do with the lead.
“It’s automatic. It’s automatic. Holy shh,” Delpit said early Friday morning after the 27-24 win over the Steelers at Huntington Bank Field. He intercepted Aaron Rodgers’ desperation pass with one second left. “I knew it was good. I was just preparing to go back because I knew it was going in.”
Browns 27, Steelers 24: Andre Szmyt’s 56-yard FG moves Cleveland to 3-1, atop AFC North
Across the locker room, guys shared the same belief. Szmyt earned it during his year-plus with the Browns, who improved to 3-1 and are in first place in the AFC North.
He’s made 22 straight field goals dating to last season, continuing a remarkable rebound after missing an extra point and a field goal in a one-point loss to the Bengals in his first NFL game — a couple of months after his mother died unexpectedly. He kicked walk-off winners last year vs. the Packers and in the finale at Cincinnati to bring his season full-circle.
“As soon as I hit, yeah, I looked up and I knew it was good,” Szmyt said of Thursday night’s blast that was good by plenty, reaching the net in front of the Dawg Pound.
The Steelers tied the game at 24 with 1:42 left. Quarterback Deshaun Watson went to Szmyt and asked how far the offense needed to get to be in his range. Watson then completed four passes, took a 4-yard sack and threw incomplete to set up Szmyt on fourth down from the 38.
“I told him, ‘let’s get to the 42, make it a 60-yard field goal,’” Szmyt said. “Obviously he got me a couple extra yards, so kudos to him.”
Coach Todd Monken gave him a game ball in the locker room celebration.
“Good job, man. That’s it,” Monken joked, quickly moving on.
“He said he could make it, so I said, ‘well, go kick it and make it,’” Monken told reporters. “I said, ‘no pressure, but they’re going to have the ball about midfield with one of the best kickers in the history of the NFL.’ I’m joking. I didn’t say that to him. I was thinking that, though. I’m like, s***, I hope he makes it.”
Monken knew the odds were good.
“He’s in such a good place right now, really, and that’s our job to keep him there,” he said.
Browns K Andre Szmyt on his thought process during winning drive. pic.twitter.com/SErl6eGcY9
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) October 2, 2026
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The Browns have been searching for a kicker they could rely on over an extended period since Phil Dawson was allowed to leave in free agency after the 2012 season. Guys have had limited runs, including Dustin Hopkins during the 2023 playoff season, but none has established himself as the franchise guy.
Szmyt hopes to change that.
“Obviously I’d love to be that guy, but like I always say, I try to stay in the moment,” he said. “I can’t really think big picture. Obviously I hope to be here for 10-plus years, but I just take it every day at a time, and the process and the work you put in will get you to that end result.”
Sitting next to him in the locker room was long snapper Rex Sunahara, who came up with idea for the specialists to wear denim outfits to the stadium. He beamed when asked about the winning kick.
“Oh, it’s the best. It’s the best. What else could you ask for?” Sunahara said. “The guy works so hard, he works so hard at everything he does. He is a true professional, he comes in, he does the same thing every day no matter if it’s 100 degrees, no matter if it’s negative-10 degrees. He just does the same thing and to see him work and to see how far he’s come, it is just the absolute best.”
Szmyt shared the credit with Sunahara and holder Corey Bojorquez.
“It’s so special,” he said. “I trust these guys with my life, and they make my job a lot easier. We have so much communication about how I want the laces, how I want the lean and everything. Rex, you don’t have to tell him, he snaps a perfect ball every single time, but Corey knows exactly what I like, what lean, what the situation is, and we just go out there and it allows me to play free and do an incredible job.”
High-pressure situations come with the job, so Szmyt goes into every game thinking he could be called upon for the last-second winner.
Browns kicker Andre Szmyt on when he started to think he might be called on to kick the winner. pic.twitter.com/xMmVtsswai
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) October 2, 2026
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“In the NFL, all games are close, so you kind of feel that before the game,” he said. “I think, what if it’s a close game? What if it comes down to me? But those are all the thoughts that just kind of run through a kicker’s head.
“Just try to stay relaxed, be in the moment, be in the present, take each quarter as its own and each kick as its own and just live like that.”
Szmyt turned 28 last Saturday, so his NFL shot came late. The long and winding road included a stop in the UFL.
“A part of me always thought and knew that I’d be able to make it,” he said. “I knew I thought I had the talent. So I just put one foot in front of the other and just keep working, and then good things happen and just continue to grow and get better.”
His teammates love it for him.
“Words can’t even explain it. I’m proud of him,” tight end Harold Fannin Jr. said. “People don’t even think about all the stress that goes into it. But every time, he goes out there and does his job.
“I’m very proud of him, I love him, man, and excited to see him do something that great.”
“That’s my kicker, man,” defensive end Isaiah McGuire said. “That’s my kicker.”
