Commanders kicker search: Here are 13 options for the NFL team after releasing Brandon McManus

When the Washington Commanders begin their latest round of off-season training activities (OTAs) this week, don’t expect to see any real starts happen, and that’s because they don’t have a kicker right now.

The Commanders had just one kicker on their roster this offseason and that number has now dropped to zero after the team decided to cut Brandon McManus on Sunday. The Commanders kicker was hit with a sexual assault allegation in a lawsuit filed last week and six days after the allegation became public, Washington decided to cut ties with him (You You can get all the details of the process here).

With McManus gone, the Commanders are now looking for a kicker, so let’s take a look at their options.

The old ones

If the Commanders are looking for a veteran kicker with 10+ years of experience, there are two solid options:

The downside for both guys is their age. These two kickers have combined to play exactly three games in 2023, largely because they have lost some of their power as they have aged. Succop is 37 and Crosby is 39, so there is some risk in signing either of these guys. However, both kickers have been solid from 50 yards, which the Commanders can appreciate after seeing Joey Slye make just 84.2% of his kicks from that distance last season. Succop has reached 93.5% of that range in 2022, while Crosby has reached 90% the past two seasons.

The younger guys

There aren’t many free agent options out there, but if the Commanders are looking for someone under 35, they essentially have three options:

Maher arguably has the most talent of this group, but it’s hard to know where his head is at. The former Cowboys kicker hasn’t been the same since missing five extra points in a single postseason in 2022. Maher kicked last season for the Rams and while his numbers weren’t impressive — he made just 17 of 23 — four of those six misses came from 51 yards or more. He was also 13 of 13 from 45 yards or more.

Bullock spent six games with the Giants last season and was 5 of 6 on field goals, including a game-winning 37-yarder on Monday night in Week 14 that gave New York a shocking victory over the Packers last season.

It may be the safest option.

As for Gonzalez, he injured his calf during the 2023 preseason while playing for the 49ers and ended up being cut before the start of the regular season. One downside to Gonzalez is that he hasn’t played since 2021, but he made 90.1% of his field goals that year, which came in Arizona.

The UFL’s options

The UFL regular season officially ended over the weekend, meaning UFL players are now free to sign with NFL teams as long as your team is not in the UFL playoffs.

There are two players that Commanders could sign right now that are worth taking a look at and those two players are:

Coghlin was one of the best kickers in the UFL in 2024, making 16 of 18 field goals. He closed the season making 15 direct kicks and his only two misses came from more than 55 yards.

As for McCrane, he played for the DC Defenders, so he’s already in the Commanders’ backyard. McCrane started the season well but was 6-of-9 in the last five games. However, he was strong at long range, going 5 of 7 from 50 yards or more with a length of 58.

As for UFL kickers in the playoffs, the Commanders will have two more options if they want to wait until the end of the UFL postseason:

Bates was the star of the UFL season thanks in large part to the fact that he hit THREE field goals of 60 yards or more (to put that in perspective: only three kickers in NFL history has made three 60-yard field goals in their ENTIRE career and none of them made it all in a single season).

Bates missed five field goals on the season, but four of them came from 50+ yards. He certainly appears to have the strongest leg of them all and it might be worth it for Commanders to wait for him to be available.

Szmyt was somewhat overshadowed by Bates, but also had a solid season. The Battlehawks kicker made 90.5% of his field goals (19 of 21) during the season, including 61 yards.

If the Commanders don’t call Szmyt or Bates, there’s a good chance another NFL team go.

Possible commercial candidates

There are many kicking competitions going on around the world. NFL and if the Commanders don’t want to wait until the end, they can call a team that currently has two kickers. Here are some of the trade options for Washington:

Of those four names, Joseph has the most experience, but he could also win the Packers’ kicking job, so Green Bay may not be willing to trade him. The Browns released York after his rookie season in 2022, but signed him back to the practice squad in 2024. As for Wright, he almost certainly isn’t going to beat Chris Boswell, so the Steelers might be willing to move him. Finally, there’s Romo, who has never played in an NFL game, so there are some downsides to that.

The bottom line here is that Commanders definitely have some options. At this point, it might be worth signing a kicker every now and then and hoping Szmyt or Bates become available after the UFL playoffs.