ASHBURN — Left without a clue as to what his future may hold, Dustin Hopkins rounded up several footballs, drove to a park in suburban New Orleans and began to work on his craft.
He quickly noticed it wasn’t an ideal situation. The kicker dropped the balls on the soggy field and sized up a pair of lightposts spread roughly 10 feet apart, aware that they separated the park from a construction site on the next block. One by one, with his wife, Gabrielle, serving as his holder, Hopkins set the balls toward the makeshift uprights, with a parade of construction workers, joggers and dog walkers stopping occasionally to round them up for him.
“They were probably just like, ’What’s this guy doing out here?’” Hopkins said. “It was kind of sloppy out there. It had just rained, so I was just trying to get ready for the workout. It was kind of a funny situation.”
On Monday, that situation had a resolution. Cut by the New Orleans Saints last week, Hopkins signed a three-year contract with the Washington Redskins, who released longtime kicker Kai Forbath earlier in the day.
A sixth-round draft pick of the Buffalo Bills in 2013, Hopkins made 88 field goals during his time at Florida State — a mark that served as a school, conference and national record. He won the Bills’ kicking job as a rookie but strained a groin muscle the day after rosters were finalized, leading to a stint on injured reserve and his release prior to last season.
Hopkins joined the Saints’ practice squad late last December and lasted through training camp, when he lost a competition to Zach Hocker, the kicker the Redskins drafted, but released, last year.
“It was disappointing having won the job [in Buffalo] and then having that setback,” Hopkins said. “All that being said, I’m glad it’s happened the way it’s happened, because it makes you appreciate where you are, you know? I’m blessed in that way, but at the same time, I’m glad it’s finally happening.”
Forbath made 87 percent of his field goals over parts of four seasons, with his tenure with the Redskins ending the day after he made a 45-yard field goal but missed an attempt from 46 yards wide right in the season-opening loss to the Miami Dolphins. That conversion percentage ranks as the highest in team history, and his 60 made field goals rank fifth.
It was the inconsistency on kickoffs, though, that led to the Redskins making the change, with Forbath struggling to routinely send the ball into, or through, the end zone for a touchback. Hopkins wasn’t told specifically that his leg strength was a reason for his signing; he worked out with former Dolphins kicker Caleb Sturgis, with Washington choosing to offer Hopkins a contract.
“We just feel like with the special teams’ difficulties covering kicks sometimes, it would be nice to kick the ball off through the end zone at a consistent rate,” coach Jay Gruden said. “That’s really the main reason [why Hopkins was signed], and he kicked field goals accurately out here. But, we’ll see. We’ve got a good day tomorrow to practice him and the next day. Hopefully, we have confidence in kicking the field goals.”
Hopkins went 9-for-11 on field goal attempts during the last three preseasons, and 21 of his 38 kickoffs went for touchbacks. Though he’s never appeared in a regular-season game, he doesn’t expect there to be much of a difference.
The biggest change will likely be away from the field. After being cut by the Saints, Hopkins and his wife expected to store their possessions and prepare for wherever the next stop may be. That layoff lasted a little over a week; Gabrielle was expected to arrive in Northern Virginia on Wednesday night, and the two figured they’d stay in the team hotel for the foreseeable future.
“We were going to put our stuff in storage and wait to see where I got picked up, basically, and go from there,” Hopkins said. “It happened sooner than later, thank the Lord.”
• Zac Boyer can be reached at zboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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