Most intriguing Commanders career
- Tress Way – 2014-present
It’s easy to take a punter for granted, and it’s easy to overlook a player while you still see him perform every week. I would never argue that Tress Way has had the greatest career of any Washington Commanders player. That would be insane. But consider this: in nine seasons, he has never averaged under 45 yards per kick.
There are precious few players at any position who can boast that level of elite consistency. Way’s 47.0 average puts him one-tenth of a yard ahead of Johnny Hekker, considered by most to be the greatest punter of the last two decades.
In the history of football, the only player with a clear statistical edge over Way is Shane Lechler, easily the greatest punter of all time and who should also be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Way has put himself into the conversation for the second spot on any such list. Maybe Seattle’s Michael Dickson will surpass everyone, but let him continue to perform at this level for another 4-5 years before considering him.
Since I already mentioned Sammy Baugh in the context of punting, it seems fitting to drop in this note about his career-passing achievements. The icon played 16 seasons, all for the now-Washington Commanders. He retired with a touchdown percentage rate of 6.2. That means that over 16 seasons, more than 6 percent of his passes resulted in a touchdown. That is a phenomenal number.
Players have done this – and better – in a great season or two. Mark Rypien, in 1991, had a 6.7 touchdown percentage. But it’s very hard to maintain that pace.
Rypien’s career percentage was 4.6. And that’s not too bad. Better than Joe Theismann’s. Comparable to that stat accumulator Kirk Cousins. Baugh blows them all away.
The only Washington quarterbacks even close to Baugh were Sonny and Billy, and they both hovered around 5.7. There are only two quarterbacks in the past 50 years who have touchdown percentage numbers comparable to Baugh. Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes.