Ranking Tress Way at No. 18 on a roster list might raise eyebrows, but Washington’s punter has earned that kind of respect. The Commanders are not leaning on a specialist to carry the team, and Way isn’t being compared to a starting cornerback, tackle, or pass rusher. He’s here because reliability still counts, and few players in Washington have delivered more of it.
Way signed a one-year extension this offseason, bringing him back for his 13th season with the Commanders. That alone tells you how long he’s been part of the fabric in Washington. Through name changes, ownership changes, coaching turnover, quarterback churn, scheme shifts, and front-office resets, Way has stayed put as one of the organization’s rare constants.
His 2025 season was more proof. Way punted 56 times and averaged 47.3 yards per kick, with 29 punts landing inside the 20-yard line.
That’s the kind of production that quietly shapes games. It’s not just about how far he sends the ball.
It’s about how often he keeps a stalled drive from turning into a real problem.
Tress Way finished the year with 29 punts pinned inside the 20-yard line 👏He was named to the 2025 Sporting News All-Pro team
That matters because even the best offenses stall. The Commanders want Jayden Daniels and the rest of the attack to finish drives, but football doesn’t always cooperate.
Three-and-outs happen. Penalties happen.
Weather games happen. And when a drive dies near midfield, the difference between a touchback and a punt buried inside the 10 can swing the next possession.
That’s where Way earns his keep.
Washington’s defense had enough problems last season without constantly being handed short fields. A punter can’t repair a defense, but he can make its job less miserable.
Way helps the Commanders flip the field, protect the coverage unit, and force opponents to work the long way. It may not be glamorous, but it is essential.
What stands out most now is control. A punter can boom a 60-yarder and still hurt his team if the coverage can’t get downfield or if a returner gets room to work.
Way’s value comes from understanding the moment. Sometimes the best punt isn’t the farthest one.
It’s the one with the right hang time, angle, and placement to trap an offense where it least wants to start.
That’s why those 29 punts inside the 20 matter so much. More than half of his punts last season left opponents backed up, and that has real value for a team trying to win the hidden-yardage battle.
Way’s only real limitations are the ones that come with the position itself. He’s older, and he’s a punter, which means his impact has a natural ceiling in any roster ranking. He can help Washington manage field position, but he can’t solve an offense that bogs down or a defense that gives up long drives.
If he were injured, Washington could find another punter. The harder part would be finding one the team trusts the same way.
Replacing Way would be about more than leg strength. It would involve timing, placement, operation, weather, pressure situations, and chemistry with the coverage unit.
Those details don’t always seem huge until they cost a team field position in a tight game.
That’s why No. 18 fits. Washington knows exactly what it has in Tress Way.
He isn’t a projection, a camp battle, or a question mark. He’s a veteran who has done the job for years, and he’s done it well enough to remain one of the safest bets on the roster.
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