Commanders must not overlook unsigned kicker despite recent reinforcement

Several months back, as the UFL season was wrapping, any NFL team that needed a placekicker was drooling over the prospect of signing Jake Bates, who was finishing a record-setting season with the Michigan Panthers. He kicked three field goals of more than 60 yards during the campaign. The first was a 64-yard game-winner, the second-longest successful kick in any professional football league.

Given his proximity to the Detroit Lions, many observers thought they would have the inside track in signing him. They were right.

Bates signed with Detroit after the UFL season. With the recent injury to incumbent kicker Michael Badgley, he has an excellent chance to begin 2024 as the starter on one of the top teams in the NFC.

One could make the case that there was another kicker in the UFL who had an even better season than Bates. That was Andre Szmyt of the St Louis Battlehawks.

Szmyt attempted 21 field goals during the season and converted 19 of them, at an outstanding rate of 90.5 percent. His long was 61 yards. He was successful on 80% of his kicks - four out of five - from 50 yards or more. He was perfect from inside 40 yards.

Such a performance was no fluke. During his redshirt freshman year at Syracuse in 2018, Szmyt converted over 88 percent of his field goals, including a long of 54 yards. He was perfect on extra points - 61 out of 61. He won the Lou Groza Award, presented to the nation’s best kicker.

He slipped off that pace over his next few seasons but was still highly effective. Then, in 2021, staff departures resulted in Syracuse not having a full-time special teams coach and the unit’s play suffered across the board. Szmyt had his worst season for the Orange. Though COVID meant that he could play one final season of college ball, he was prepared to move on.

However, Syracuse brought in a new special teams coach, who convinced the kicker to stick around one more year. And Szmyt returned to form.

Though not as dominant from long range as he had been in 2018, Szmyt still converted all of his extra points, 77 percent of his field goals, and hit a long of 54 yards. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Chicago Bears after the season but did not make the final roster.

Szmyt went to the UFL and blossomed. Still, he remains a free agent. Teams have brought him in for tryouts, but to date, he has not signed a contract with an NFL franchise.

One of the teams that had him in for a tryout was the Washington Commanders. After signing Ramiz Ahmed in early June, Szmyt was one of several kickers they auditioned to presumably provide competition in training camp. They did not sign anyone at that point.

Commanders cannot be complacent at the kicking position despite claiming Riley Patterson

Washington finally made a move at kicker when they claimed veteran Riley Patterson off waivers, who was released last season by Detroit in the middle of a playoff run. He has an edge in experience over Szmyt. The veteran has kicked in 39 NFL games and has generally been reliable. But he also has never booted a field goal longer than 53 yards, and he missed three extra points last season. Those were the reasons the Lions chose to ride with Badgley.

Like Szmyt, Ahmed has never attempted a field goal or extra point in an NFL game - though he did handle kickoffs with the Green Bay Packers once. During about half a season with Birmingham in the UFL, his numbers pale in comparison to Szmyt’s. He attempted just 13 field goals and missed three of them. His long kick was 46 yards.

Szmyt appears to be a more talented kicker than both men the Commanders currently have under contract. He is very young, but he kicked a great deal in college, attempting more than 80 field goals over five seasons, along with more than 200 extra points. He has been through adversity, recovering from a poor season to excel in his one year in the UFL. He has dealt with multiple coaching and holder changes.

There’s no way of seeing inside the head of a kicker and figuring out which ones will thrive or falter. It is a solitary, pressure-filled position. Having the proper mental approach is almost as important as having a big leg.

Perhaps the fact that no team has yet to sign Szmyt suggests they see things in his mechanics or his approach that could hinder development. On the other hand, most NFL teams are set at kicker. Not many are even looking, so it may just be an issue of timing.

One thing we know for sure is that the Commanders are one of those teams that is still looking.

Since the glory days of Mark Mosely and Chip Lohmiller, Washington’s track record with placekickers has been atrocious. Sometimes it has been due to bad luck. More often, it was due to very poor decision-making.

Ever since they gave up on David Akers 25 years ago, they've been almost cursed. He went on to an outstanding career with the rival Philadelphia Eagles, while Washington cycled through kickers galore. The only one who lasted longer than three seasons was Dustin Hopkins.

Since being released by Washington, Hopkins has converted 91 percent of his field goals - for other teams. He has been nine for 11 from outside 50 yards. Just one more poor kicking decision.

Perhaps Ahmed or Patterson will emerge as a solid kicker this season. If neither does, fans will be asking why the Commanders didn’t bring in a very talented young prospect like Szmyt for a longer tryout.

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