Without ever lacing up his shoes for the first time as a pro, Browns rookie Zane Gonzalez has booted a competitor for the starting kicking job off the roster.
And by the time the regular season begins, Gonzalez may well send the other competitor, incumbent Cody Parkey, into the unemployment line as well.
The Browns on Tuesday waived kicker Brett Maher, who was signed March 20 after spending the last three seasons in the Canadian Football League. So Maher lasted all of six weeks in Cleveland after being brought in, in case the Browns didn’t select a kicker in the NFL Draft last weekend.
But they did, taking Gonzalez, an Arizona State product, in the seventh round on Saturday.
Kickers aren’t usually drafted – Don Cockroft was the only kicker the Browns ever picked who amounted to anything – but when they are selected, even in the final round, it’s a clear indication that the team believes he’s better than who is already on the roster and as such has a good chance to make the final cut.
That Gonzalez is used to kicking in the warmth of the desert and the Pac-12, certainly will not help him try to navigate the cold, swirling winds off Lake Erie. Nonetheless, he was a first-team All-American last season and broke the FBS record for most career field goals made with 96.
Parkey was 20-for-25 in 2016 in his first season in Cleveland, including 7-for-12 on those plentiful – and all-important — 40- to 49-yard attempts. That’s simply not good enough in the NFL, especially for a team such as the Browns, whose offense is still very much a work in progress. They aren’t going to score enough touchdowns on a consistent basis, so they’re going to need every point – every field goal – to have a chance to win.
Who gives them a better chance to hit those crucial kicks?
The Browns believe it is Zane Gonzalez.
