6 kickers the Commanders could target to replace Brandon McManus

Commanders could target Lucas Havrisik

The Cleveland Browns currently have three kickers signed to their roster. The incumbent is former Washington Commanders veteran Dustin Hopkins.

After a subpar season in 2020, Washington released Hopkins early in 2021 in favor of Joey Slye. He went on to perform very well for both the Los Angeles Chargers and Browns in subsequent campaigns. However, Cleveland is at the very least considering a change.

When Lucas Havrisik was a freshman at Arizona in 2017, he converted a 57-yard field goal. He routinely booted kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks. He has shown he has the big leg required of a professional kicker.

Havrisik bounced around several practice squads in the NFL and played in nine games for the Los Angeles Rams last season. He did not miss from inside 40 yards, converting 11 attempts. However, he was much less reliable from over 40 yards, making fewer than half his kicks. He also missed three extra points in 22 attempts.

There are a few kinks to work out, but there is no question about Havrisik's raw talent. Sometimes, kickers need a little extra time to figure out how to handle the elevated pressure of performing in the NFL. In the past, Washington moved on from very talented kickers like David Akers and Graham Gano because of some rough patches early in their careers.

We have no way of knowing whether Adam Peters and Dan Quinn would be willing to take a chance on an unproven young talent like Havrisik, or even if he will become available. He may win the job outright and be off the market. Should he lose out, he might be a good prospect to try out.

Commanders could target Cade York

The third kicker in Cleveland this offseason entered the league with the most acclaim. Cade York was selected in the fourth round of the 2022 draft out of LSU. He was chosen as AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after his first game. But he was unable to build on that burst of early success and seemed to struggle as the season went on.

He kicked in all the Browns’ games as a rookie. But he was released the following season in training camp, when they signed Hopkins.

York was on the practice squad of both the Tennessee Titans and the New York Giants last season. He hurt his leg in practice and was placed on injured reserve. When the G-Men failed to re-sign him, Cleveland brought him back, presumably to compete with both Hopkins and Havrisik in an open competition.

This would be another talented, unproven commodity that could be available before the start of the 2024 season should the Commanders be looking.