Commanders Camp Focus Turns to Kicking Competition, With Jake Moody and Drew Stevens in the Spotlight

The Washington Commanders’ camp story this July is about the kicking job, and it is back to being a competition rather than a settled position. A starting question has circled the special teams unit since the club’s front office and coaching staff changed in 2024, when the Commanders began moving through multiple kickers in search of consistent performance.

According to Yahoo Sports, Washington signed what looked like a steady option in Brandon McManus, but the situation became complicated after the team released him following the filing of a civil lawsuit. From that point, the Commanders cycled through multiple kickers who appeared in games, underscoring how hard it has been for the franchise to lock in one specialist for a full stretch.

The most recent names in that carousel include Cade York, Austin Seibert, Greg Joseph, Zane Gonzalez, Matt Gay and Jake Moody. The same report notes that York’s stint lasted all of a week, Seibert’s run started well but was derailed by injury, and Gonzalez and his style helped Washington in at least one playoff win before he was released after the season.

Against that backdrop, the Commanders’ camp work is now framed around two candidates: Jake Moody and Drew Stevens. The question, as presented in the report, is whether one of them can end the uncertainty that has followed the position for multiple offseasons, turning camp reps into something closer to a long-term answer.

Moody represents the “proven leg” angle within the competition, given his prior experience at the NFL level, while Stevens brings a different profile, giving Washington another way to evaluate accuracy, distance control, and consistency under pressure. For a team still defining its roster identity after several roster turns at the position, the practical value of this matchup is straightforward: preseason and early regular-season opportunities often hinge on whether field-goal and kickoff reliability show up quickly.

At the same time, camp competitions rarely resolve everything on day one. Even if one kicker clearly holds the edge in field-goal makes during practice, teams still want to confirm the full package, including kickoff execution and the ability to handle changing conditions, snap timing, and hold mechanics. Washington’s recent history suggests the club will continue to prioritize stability, because when the kicking role changes midstream, it can ripple across special teams planning more broadly.

What to watch next is whether Washington’s special teams staff can establish consistent rhythm with the long snapper, holder, and kicker, and whether Moody or Stevens separates in the areas that translate from practice to games. If the Commanders are able to narrow the gap early, it may be the first time in a while that the job feels less like an ongoing search and more like a defined role heading into the regular season.