NEWS NOW: The Cleveland Browns Have Signed Two Specialists Who Are On The Verge Of Leaving To Steelers

 

Cleveland Browns Add Two Specialists for the New York Jets with Dustin Hopkins Out, Corey Bojorquez Doubtful

On Thursday Night, the Cleveland Browns will most likely have a new specialist duo.

CLEVELAND, OHIO – The Cleveland Browns will almost certainly have two new specialists when they face the New York Jets on Thursday night at Cleveland Browns Stadium. With kicker Dustin Hopkins out due to a hamstring injury and punter Corey Bojorquez questionable due to a quad injury to his kicking leg, the Browns promoted punter Matt Haack and kicker Riley Patterson from the practice squad.

 

Haack (6-0, 205) is in his seventh NFL season after graduating from Arizona State. Haack, who was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dolphins in 2017, has played in 98 games for the Dolphins (2017-20), Bills (2021), and Colts (2022). He’s punted 429 times for 19,087 yards (44.5 average), with 160 landing inside the 20-yard line. Haack will be wearing No. 39.

Patterson (6-0, 195) is in his third NFL season after graduating from Memphis. Patterson, who was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Vikings in 2021, has appeared in 37 career games with the Lions (2021 and 2023) and Jaguars (2022). He’s hit 58 of 66 field goals and 87 of 90 PATs. He played in 13 games for the Lions this season, making 15 of 17 field goal attempts. Patterson will wear the number 36.

Both players were recently added to the practice squad.

Hopkins is 33-of-36 on field goal attempts and 24-of-26 on extra points this season. He leads the Browns with 123 points this season, just three points shy of Jim Brown’s all-time single-season record set in 1965.

Bojorquez has punted 80 times, averaging 49.5 yards per punt and a season-long of 73 yards. He has 27 punts inside the 20-yard line.

NFL teams can carry up to 55 players on their roster during a given week by elevating one or two players from their practice squad prior to the game’s transaction deadline. The rule gives teams a larger pool of players from which to choose their 47 or 48 game-day active players. Any player promoted from the practice squad for this purpose will be returned to his team’s practice squad the next day.