The Washington Commanders' core specialists — place kicker, punter, and long snapper — would seem locked in as the team enters training camp.
Then again, around this time last year, you could have said the same thing. But the club released presumptive kicker Brandon McManus after allegations of sexual assault surfaced.
The McManus affair sent general manager Adam Peters on a season-long quest to find a reliable kicker. Washington did get some clutch field goals from both Austin Seibert and Zane Gonzalez, but the general manager still felt he could do better.
He got that chance when the Indianapolis Colts released Matt Gay. Peters snapped him up and believes that the 31-year-old former Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion will stabilize the kicking game.
Barring injury, Washington is unlikely to bring in any young kicker to compete with Gay. But the veteran has dealt with some injury issues over the past couple of seasons. It has hurt his long-range effectiveness, which was once among the best in the league.
Though Gay converted 84 percent of his kicks last season, he was not very good from over 50 yards. Assuming he is injury-free and regains his form from distance, he figures to be the best kicker Washington has had in some time.
Even with his difficulties from range last year, Gay still did not miss a kick inside 50 yards, including converting all of his extra points. He is also fully capable of blasting kickoffs through the end zone, something Commanders’ kickers rarely did last year.
At punter, there is zero drama. Tress Way is the man.
He is the longest tenured player on the roster and shows little sign of slowing down. Way’s yards-per-punt have fallen off slightly, especially in light of all the youngsters who routinely drill punts over 50 yards. But his net average in 2024 was exceptional, finishing in the top 10 league-wide.
His inside-20 stats were almost as good. Overall, Way seems to be getting somewhat better. Considering he has been a Pro Bowler in the past, that is saying something.
When you also consider that he is a team leader and an exceptional holder, you can be sure that Way isn’t leaving anytime soon.
The best thing you can say about long snapper Tyler Ott is that a lot of Commanders fans don’t even recognize his name. That’s high praise. The best ones are the most anonymous. Special teams coach Larry Izzo worked with him in Seattle and has a high comfort level with the veteran.
Commanders' special teams questions before camp center on the return game
Even though there should not be any intrigue at those three positions, the roles of kick and punt returner remain entirely up in the air.
Rookie wide receiver Jaylin Lane averaged better than 10 yards per punt return in college and took two to the house. The Commanders hope he makes an immediate impact on offense, but he may get a better chance early on to lock down the punt return job.
To do so, he will have to beat out the incumbent Luke McCaffrey and fellow rookie Ja’Corey Brooks.
McCaffrey proved steady and unspectacular last season. Brooks had an even better return average than Lane in college. His biggest obstacle comes from the fact that while Lane and McCaffrey probably have roster spots locked up, Brooks does not. That means Dan Quinn would have to devote an extra spot for the punt returner.
Both Lane and Brooks returned kickoffs in college as well, though neither had very good numbers. And the Commanders already have two veterans who have had excellent success returning kickoffs lately.
Austin Ekeler was a second-team All-Pro last season. Deebo Samuel Sr. was statistically even better, returning 17 kicks with an elite average of 31 yards per return.
Either Ekeler or Samuel could handle kickoffs, but should Izzo and Kliff Kingsbury decide to preserve the two veterans for offense, Lynn and Brooks could get a look, as could Kazmeir Allen.
Allen has been languishing on the practice squad for a couple of seasons now. The diminutive speedster has been transitioning from receiver to running back, the position where he began his college career. To supplant the veterans and earn a spot, he must show dynamism on kickoffs and be valuable enough on assorted offensive gadget plays to make the squad.
There could be wild cards emerging this summer, looking to increase their value by returning kicks. That should make the kick and punt returner positions worth keeping an eye on through training camp and the preseason.