Washington Releases Veteran K Dustin Hopkins

Dustin Hopkins in 2021
Dustin Hopkins in 2021. Photo by Scott Serio/CSM/Shutterstock (11678135e)

The Washington Football Team is making a major roster shakeup after a poor start to the 2021 season. The team decided to release veteran kicker Dustin Hopkins on Wednesday and replace him with newcomer Chris Blewitt.

Hopkins is out despite being solid through the first six weeks of 2021. He made 12 out of 14 field goals he attempted and is ranked as the 12th most accurate kicker in NFL this season. The 31-year-old did, however, miss two extra points this season.

Even more surprising than Hopkins’ exit is the replacement Washington has lined up. Blewitt just joined the team’s practice squad only last week and has never kicked a field goal in the NFL. Also, as ESPN points out, his last FG attempt in a game came five years ago while at college.

Blewitt played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers between 2013 and 2016 and had a 69.6 percent conversion. He also missed four extra-point attempts during his last two years as a Panther.

Dustin Hopkins leaves Washington after spending seven years with the franchise. Hopkins kicked in 93 games during that time and made 84.0 percent of his FG tries. He also missed only 11 out of 190 extra points he attempted.