After watching the Dallas Cowboys erase a 21-point deficit for a walk-off win over the Philadelphia Eagles, the first thought that crossed my mind was: It must be nice to have a competent kicker you can trust.
Of all the missteps in a year that has gone nothing like planned for the Washington Commanders, the search for a dependable kicker stands out as Adam Peters’ most significant failure.
Since taking over as general manager in 2024, the Commanders have had nine kickers on the roster, including the recent addition of Jake Moody after Matt Gay was cut following another dismal performance versus the Miami Dolphins.
Commanders' kicking situation remains an ongoing frustration under Adam Peters
It looked like Austin Seibert was the answer, but after his injury, he was never the same. He ultimately retired from the league earlier this year.
Zane Gonzalez ended last season as the Commanders' starter, going 5-for-7 in the regular season and 7-for-8 in the playoffs, including the memorable doink to the divisional game.
Despite Gonzalez's success, Peters decided to cut him and sign Gay, who received $4.25 million in guaranteed money. That was the most ever for a kicker on a one-year contract.
Why? Who knows, maybe Gonzalez's routine before field goals was off-putting.
Ironically, Spencer Shrader, who replaced Gay for the Colts, hit 92.9 percent of his field goals before suffering a season-ending injury. His replacement, Michael Badgley, has connected on 90% of his field goals. Meanwhile, Gay only hit 68.4% of his attempts before being cut.
To add insult to injury, Gonzalez signed with the Atlanta Falcons earlier this month. He has been a perfect 6-for-6 on field goals, including hitting from 52, 54, and 56 yards. Gay went 4-for-9 beyond 50 yards.
Even Riley Patterson, who hit the game-winning kick in the Dolphins' win over the Commanders before the bye week, has performed better than Gay this year. If you remember, he was one of those seven kickers on Washington's roster before the one-time Pro Bowler was brought in.
Now, Washington turns to Jake Moody, as Peters continues to bring in retreads from the San Francisco 49ers.
Moody was cut by the Niners after beginning the year 1-for-3. He showed marked improvements during his two games with the Chicago Bears, hitting 8-of-9 field goals with the only miss being a block.
His accuracy from 50+ yards is still shoddy, with the kicker only hitting 6-of-12 from that range. Moody also only went 4-for-10 from beyond 50 in college.
Peters has to hope Moody can mirror the rise of Brandon Aubrey, who went 0-for-2 from beyond 50 yards with the Birmingham Stallions in the USFL before turning into one of the NFL’s elite specialists — drilling 85.7% of his long-distance attempts with the Cowboys.
And if this doesn’t work? Then it’s back to square one for Peters and company. Hopefully, the tenth time’s the charm in Washington.