ASHBURN, Va. - Drew Stevens didn’t wait long to turn a training camp battle into something bigger.
The former Iowa kicker has won Washington’s starting job, with special teams coordinator Larry Izzo calling him Monday after the Commanders had to sort out the position following Stevens’ NFL preseason debut against the Miami Dolphins. The decision became official Aug. 18, and Stevens beat out Jake Moody, whom Washington signed in the offseason after his time with the Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers last year.
“Honestly it kind of feels the same way that I have been feeling in terms of the way I’ve approached it,” Stevens said during training camp Tuesday morning. “But it feels good, I don’t really know how much more to say than that.”
For Stevens, the rise comes fast. He went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft, signed with the Commanders soon after, and now has his first NFL starting job just a few months later.
“Coach Izzo called me on the phone and told me, and it was crazy because I was not expecting it at all,” Stevens said. “But I mean, shoot, this is my first rodeo, I’m just trying to play good on the field.”
Washington still has two preseason games left, but the organization has made its choice with the season set to open Sept. 13 against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Commanders have spent the last two seasons cycling through seven kickers, and they haven’t had one who could make a 60-yard attempt since 2023.
That’s the challenge in front of Stevens, whose college résumé at Iowa was loaded. He owns the program record for total field goals made with 76, the most 50-plus-yard field goals with 12, and the longest kick in school history at 58 yards. He also finished second in career points with 352 and set Iowa’s freshman record with 16 made field goals.
Stevens said the jump from college to the pros has meant adjusting to the different feel of field-goal attempts, but not to his process. The mental side, he said, matters just as much as the leg.
“I haven’t changed anything,” Stevens said. “I’m still sticking to what I believe is going to work. I’m not lacking conviction in certain areas, I’m just believing that my thing is going to be good enough.”
Dan Quinn is ready to see more of that. The Commanders coach said Stevens earned the nod and wants him taking every chance he can get over the final two preseason games.
“I thought Drew established himself,” Quinn said. “I thought he’s kicking it pure and clean, so it’s important for him to have the next two games were he gets all the kicks, all the moments. It was a good competition, but I thought Drew earned it, and now we’re moving forward.”
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