This unheralded Commanders offseason acquisition could be one to watch

Kicker Drew Stevens, an undrafted rookie out of Iowa, signed with Washington after the draft and will compete with incumbent Jake Moody for a spot on the initial 53-man roster. Matthew Holst / Getty Images It's been seven years since the Washington Commanders had one kicker for a full season who finished above the league average in field goal percentage. Seven. Years. In the span since Dustin Hopkins made 83.3 percent of his field goal attempts in 2019, Washington's NFL team has rebranded twice, changed its uniforms at least three times, started nearly a dozen quarterbacks, hired two head coaches, had a change in ownership and broken ground on a new stadium in D.C. And yet, the franchise is still searching for that consistent specialist to spell the offense and do what so many kickers now do routinely: hit 50-plus-yard field goals with consistency. As the Commanders have tried to build a playoff contender around Jayden Daniels, the focus this offseason has inevitably -- and rightfully -- been on revamping the defense and adding offensive help around the young quarterback. But one less-heralded signing has a chance to not just earn a roster spot, but also have a significant impact on how far the Commanders go this season. Kicker Drew Stevens, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound undrafted rookie out of Iowa, signed with Washington after the draft and will compete with incumbent Jake Moody for a spot on the initial 53-man roster. The team re-signed Moody to a one-year deal in March after acquiring him during the season amid issues with former kicker Matt Gay. Kicker is one of multiple jobs up for grabs in Washington, but it could be one of the most impactful -- for better or worse. At a time when special teams are significantly influencing the outcomes of games, and when kickers are proving their value well beyond routine 33-yard extra-point attempts, Washington's shortcomings at the position have been costly. The value of the 40-yard kick, a specialty of Hopkins' in his seven seasons in Washington, has diminished. Kickers are bigger, stronger and arriving at the pro level with more specialized training. Last season, NFL kickers made 68.8 percent of their field goal attempts from at least 50 yards out, up from 56.7 percent a decade ago. And with greater success, coaches have seemingly had greater confidence in attempting the longer kicks; the league totaled 266 attempts from at least 50 yards and 22 attempts from at least 60 yards last season, up from 182 and nine attempts just five years ago. Gay signed with the Commanders last offseason after the team cycled through four kickers (Cade York, Austin Seibert, Greg Joseph and Zane Gonzalez) during the 2024 season and tried out two others (Ramiz Ahmed and Riley Patterson) in training camp. But Gay missed five of his nine attempts from at least 50 yards, including one in a 25-24 loss to the Chicago Bears and two others in a 16-13 overtime loss to the Miami Dolphins in Madrid. He was released the next day. "At that position, the performance, you know, got to have it," Quinn said at the time. Despite their efforts, the Commanders haven't had it since Quinn arrived two years ago. One of Adam Peters' earliest signings as the Commanders' new general manager in 2024 was Brandon McManus. But he was released months later because of sexual assault allegations; he has denied the allegations, was not disciplined by the NFL and spent the last two seasons with the Green Bay Packers. Washington has since used eight kickers in the preseason or regular season with the hope of finding a lasting answer. Moody, a 2023 third-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers, was an improvement in his short time with the Commanders last season (going 2-for-2 from 50-plus yards), but he also had moments that left open the possibility of another offseason competition: He missed a PAT, then booted the ensuing kickoff out of bounds in a Week 15 win over the New York Giants. Stevens will be No. 9 on the Commanders' list of recent kickers, but he has a resume that fits what Washington has been searching for at the position. The Athletic's Dane Brugler ranked Stevens as the third-best kicker in the Class of 2026 with the projection he could go in the seventh round of the draft. A former high school soccer player, Stevens set or equaled school records at Iowa for the most made field goals (76), 50-plus-yard field goals (12) and longest field goal (58 yards) and was one of three kickers invited to the NFL Scouting Combine. In his four seasons of kicking at Iowa, he connected on 80.0 percent of his field goal attempts (76 of 95) and missed only two of 126 extra-point attempts. Stevens said he drew interest from the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans immediately after the draft but chose Washington because of the opportunity. Former Commanders kicker Joey Slye, with whom Stevens has worked during the offseasons in North Carolina, is now kicking for the Titans, and the Bills recently reworked the deal for their longtime kicker, Tyler Bass, giving him a chance to earn up to $3.5 million in 2026. "They're paying Tyler Bass a gazillion dollars in Buffalo, so that'd be probably harder," Stevens said with a grin. During the Commanders' first day of rookie minicamp, Stevens kicked from as far as 53 yards, and he said the top threshold of his range, when not accounting for outside conditions, is around 63 to 65 yards. "In high school ... I was the classic 'take the big leg off the soccer team and then have him try kicking,'" Stevens said of his foray into NFL kicking. "I did that my freshman year, and my parents kind of pushed me to do it. ... But as soon as I was a sophomore, I had a game-winning kick on varsity, and that atmosphere created a moment and feel you can't re-create in soccer." Since that game winner as a high school sophomore, Stevens has worked with Dan Orner, a Charlotte-based kicking coach who also works with a number of pro kickers and punters. Orner described Stevens as an "absolute savage" with his competitiveness and focus. Although Stevens struggled with his accuracy in 2023, making only 69.2 percent of his kicks, he improved dramatically over his last two college seasons, making 82.4 percent of his field goals. The improvement, Orner said, was due in part to Stevens' maturation at the position and learning to become more of a technical kicker. But Stevens' leg strength remains one of his biggest draws. "He definitely is a power kicker," Orner told The Athletic. "He's got 65-, 70-yard range. But I think the biggest thing is, if you send him out for a game winner, he's the guy you want going out there. He's looking forward to that."