The Washington Commanders have made their choice at kicker, and it’s undrafted rookie Drew Stevens who gets the nod.
On Monday, Washington released Jake Moody, ending a tight competition and officially handing the job to Stevens. The decision followed a camp battle that stayed close early, with both kickers trading clean days and the occasional miss through the first week and a half.
Last week, though, the race started to tilt. Moody had several shaky practices while Stevens kept delivering.
Then came Washington’s preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins, and that performance likely sealed it. Both kickers were perfect in the game, each converting a field goal and a point-after attempt.
Moody connected from 29 yards, though the kick barely sneaked through after a doink. Stevens drilled his 41-yarder dead center.
Head coach Dan Quinn said the competition had been a fair one from the start.
“I thought this was a good competition all the way back from the spring when we had them here,” Quinn said. “We kicked just about every day from the spring and two out of three days in these blocks for training camp.
And both guys, I thought, have had productive days, but I thought Drew established himself. Thought he’s kicking it pure and clean.
It is important for him to have the next two games where he gets all the kicks, all the moments. It was just a good competition.
I thought [he] earned it. And so, we’re moving forward.”
Stevens’ edge came from more than one strong showing. He had the steadier leg, the cleaner strikes and the confidence that kept showing up as camp wore on. With the job now settled, Washington can give him all the reps in the final two preseason games and the joint practice, along with full kicking responsibilities.
Stevens said he was a little surprised the decision came this soon.
“Yeah, kind of,” he said. “I mean, I don’t really see why they wouldn’t just let us play the next two, you know? But that’s not my place.”
He may be playing it modestly, but he clearly won the battle. And for Washington, the move keeps the search going to end a long-running kicker carousel.
Since GM Adam Peters took over in 2024, the Commanders have had eight kickers, not including Stevens, and seven of them have appeared in games. Brandon McManus was cut in 2024 before ever playing in a game for Washington.
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