Since signing and shortly thereafter releasing free-agent kicker Brandon McManus before the 2024 season, the Washington Commanders have cycled through 8 kickers in 2 seasons.
It’s a problem that extends back to before they signed McManus, however, and The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala believes help might be on the way as undrafted free agent kicker Drew Stevens competes for the starting position with incumbent Jake Moody.
“It’s been seven years since the Washington Commanders had one kicker for a full season who finished above the league average in field goal percentage,” Jhabvala wrote. ” … In the span since Dustin Hopkins made 83.3 percent of his field goal attempts in 2019, Washington’s NFL team has rebranded twice, changed its uniforms at least three times, started nearly a dozen quarterbacks, hired two head coaches, had a change in ownership and broken ground on a new stadium in D.C. And yet, the franchise is still searching for that consistent specialist to spell the offense and do what so many kickers now do routinely: hit 50-plus-yard field goals with consistency.”
The problem in 2025 wasn’t really with Moody — it was with a terrible offense that rarely put their kickers in situations to make field goals. Moody was also a mid-season replacement after the Commanders grew frustrated with Matt Gay.
Drew Stevens: Really Good at 50-Plus Field Goals
If Stevens, 6-foot-1 and 213 pounds, does 1 thing really well, it’s kick long field goals.
Stevens kicked multiple field goals over 50 yards in all 4 seasons at Iowa where he was a 4-time All-Big Ten pick. He kicked 4 field goals over 50 yards in each of the last 2 seasons, including increasingly long career-highs each season, capped by a 57-yard field goal in 2024 and a 58-yard field goal in 2025.
In 2025, Stevens led the Big Ten in field goals (22), field-goal attempts (28), and field-goal percentage (88.9 percent). His 76 career field goals are 2nd in Big Ten history.
For his career, Stevens was 12-of-19 on field goals over 50 yards.
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein projected Stevens as a 7th-round pick or priority free agent.
“Four-year kicker with an explosive delivery but inconsistent results,” Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. “Stevens clearly has the leg to create lift and distance, but his ball striking was inconsistent at times, as he missed three of his kicks from 40-49 yards last season. He handles kickoff duties and is able to run, cover and tackle when needed. The physical tools are there to be drafted but he needs to become more consistent to stick around long-term.”
Commanders Bad at Everything in 2025
The Commanders were bad at special teams in 2025 just like they were bad at everything else.
“Washington ranked 29th in the NFL in field-goal percentage last year (76.9%) and cycled through three different placekickers in 2025,” Heavy’s Pat Pickens wrote. “As a result, the Commanders were 2-5 in one-score games, with three of those losses coming amid their eight-game losing skid that dropped Washington out of playoff contention.”
There was only 1 kicker selected in the 2026 NFL draft when Florida’s Trey Smack was chosen in the 6th round (No. 216 overall) by the Green Bay Packers.
The Commanders haven’t selected a kicker since drafting Zack Hocker out of Arkansas in the 7th round (No. 228 overall) of the 2014 NFL draft.
Commanders Rookie Could Solve Long-Term Special Teams Issue