Zac Taylor: “It doesn’t matter if we don’t mind our own business”; Rarity: Cade York in the Battle of Ohio

It’s hard to believe it hasn’t happened yet, but it looks like Bengals kicker and Browns draft pick Cade York could become the first kicker to score a point in the 55 seasons of the Battle of Ohio on Sunday both teams scored. He wants to go one step further.

“I told them when I went to Washington at the beginning of the year that I would score a game-winning goal against them and I was disappointed I didn’t get that chance,” York said this week. “So now God has given me another chance and that would be pretty cool.”

York, a fourth-round pick by Cleveland in 2022 who made two of three field goal attempts against the Bengals this season, says there are no hard feelings and he has already planned a jersey swap with Browns guard Wyatt Teller.

The Browns parted ways with York after training camp in 2023, a season in which he didn’t play a single game, and he re-signed with them last offseason even though they already had veteran Dustin Hopkins.

After what he thought was a solid training camp, York joined Washington after the Browns cut him a second time in time for this year’s opener. But he was injured after missing both field goal attempts.

He showed up in Cincinnati a few weeks ago when Evan McPherson went on injured reserve with a groin injury. York got a game ball after his first game in Dallas when he made all of his kicks and hit six touchbacks to keep the ball away from NFL kick return leader KaVontae Turpin.

“I’ve never gotten a game ball for such short kicks,” said York, who made field goals of 37 and 29 yards against the Cowboys before adding a 21-yarder last Sunday at Tennessee.

York says it wasn’t his rookie year that cut him, but the next preseason. It wasn’t a surprise.

“I felt good during training camp,” York said. “But in the games I put a lot of strain on the ball. I was too aggressive.”

York seems to have settled here. He has completed all but one of his eight kicks after missing a PAT last week.

“It will be cool to see all my friends and the people who were at the Bible study,” York said.