The Commanders won’t be kicking much in practice Wednesday but for a good reason. Washington will be without kicker Zane Gonzalez and recently signed backup kicker Greg Joseph, as both are welcoming newborns.
“Both kickers are out today,” Commanders coach Dan Quinn said Wednesday. “Hopefully exciting personal news for both their families today. Never a dull moment around here, man. We keep it exciting all the time.”
When asked who’s going to be the kicker at practice, a smiling Quinn said, “Wouldn’t you want to know?”
The Commanders have featured four kickers throughout the 2024 season. The revolving door started when the team cut Brandon McManus in June following the filing of a since-dismissed sexual assault lawsuit.
Washington acquired Cade York via trade but cut him after missing two field goals in the team’s season-opening loss. His replacement, Austin Seibert, eventually landed on injured reserve with a hip injury after a hot start, while the team placed Gonzalez on the Week 15 injury report with a left foot injury. The Commanders signed Joseph to the practice squad before their Week 15 game against the New Orleans Saints and elevated him when Gonzalez was unable to go.
“Honestly, the people I give a lot of credit to are Tyler (Biadasz) and Tress (Way),” said Quinn, referring to the team’s long snapper and placeholder. “They’ve had to do the most work. When you’re a specialist, there’s a lot of very specific skill work that goes into that. ‘How would you like this held?’ The tilt of it, the communication. … Great teammates make great teams, and those two are great teammates because not once have they flinched.”
Dec. 18 is a big day for birthdays inside the Commanders facility. If both children are born Wednesday, they will share a birthday with starting quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Daniels had a bit of a surprise of his own at Wednesday’s news conference. Cornerback Mike Sainristil sang “Happy Birthday” to him as Commanders public relations manager Charlie Mule repaid a wager on the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets by wearing a snowman outfit.
CB @MikeSainristil sings “Happy Birthday” to @JayD__5
while PR guru @CharlieMule_PR apparently is paying off a Dodgers-Mets wager. pic.twitter.com/C9PEKpQCPY— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) December 18, 2024
Required reading
- Commanders film review: How Jayden Daniels’ winning performance was nearly sacked
- Commanders a step closer to potential RFK return with congressional funding bill
- Marshon Lattimore’s target-free Commanders debut spoke volumes about his impact
(Photo of Greg Joseph: Matthew Hinton / Imagn Images)
