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The Commanders have one kicker on the roster now, and are holding tryouts this week, primarily for UFL kickers who will be available to be signed after 16 June. Let’s take a look at the options reported on Wednesday, from the first day of the team’s mandatory minicamp.
The incumbent: Ramiz Ahmed
When veteran kicker Brandon McManus was released earlier this month, the timing was a bit awkward. Washington had 3 days of OTAs scheduled and suddenly were without a kicker. The veteran free agent NFL kickers had already been picked over; every NFL team had a kicker — some had two. There wasn’t much meat left on that particular bone. With Spring football, there were some promising prospects playing in the UFL, but none were available to be signed by an NFL team before the championship game on 16 June.
Ramiz Ahmed was available because he had been let go by the Birmingham Stallions of the UFL in late May when their primary placekicker — former Commanders bust Chris Blewitt — returned from injury.
At the time of the signing, it was assumed that Ahmed was merely a ‘placeholder’ until afterJune 16, when the team would have its pick of UFL kickers who would all become available at the same time.
That said, there’s nothing to stop Ahmed from earning the job, and, having spent last week’s OTAs and this week’s minicamp with the Commanders players and coaches, one might reasonably argue that Ahmed has the inside track.
Here’s some background about Ahmed from the Commanders team website:
Ahmed, who last played for the Birmingham Stallions in the United Football League, was also on the Chicago Bears’ roster in 2020 to compete with Eddy Piñeiro. He was also drafted by the Pittsburgh Maulers in 2022 with a seventh-round pick. He made a 61-yard field goal against the New Jersey Generals that season — the longest in USFL history.
Prior to pursuing a professional career, Ahmed attended UNLV and Arizona State but did not play football until transferred again to the University of Nevada and made the team as a walk-on. Ahmed made 15-of-20 field goals and 40-of-44 PATs during his senior year.
During the 2024 season, as Blewitt’s injury replacement, Ahmed went 10-for-13 (77%), including 4-for-7 from beyond 40 yards.
Lucas Havrisik
Lucas Havrisik played at Arizona from 2017-2021. In his college career, he went 73 for 78 on his extra points, and 34 for 53 on his field goal attempts for a 64.2% field goal percentage.
He spent time with the Colts in 2022 & 2023 preseasons, but did not make the team’s regular season roster.
In October 2023, Havrisik broke into the NFL when the Rams cut Brett Maher. In 9 games for the Rams, he hit 15 of 20 field goals (75%), and 19 of 22 extra points (86.4%).
Havrisik was released by the Rams at the end of the ‘23 season. He was briefly under contract with the Browns this offseason, but was waived by the team on June 4, two days after the Commanders signed Ramiz Ahmed. According to Our Lads, the Browns currently have two other kickers on the roster: former Washington kicker Dustin Hopkins and 2022 draft pick Cade York.
Andre Szmyt
The leading scorer among UFL kickers this season is Szmyt, who missed only 2 of 21 attempts, with his longest made field goal being 61 yards. He was 4-5 from 50+ yards and 4-5 between 40-49 yards, so his two misses came from relatively long range.
In addition to his accuracy, another possible advantage that Szmyt might have is that his Battlehawks team played in front of home crowds that averaged 36,000 fans per game, so he’s been playing half his games in front of noisy (though supportive) crowds while the Panthers games, for instance, were played in front of crowds that averaged closer to 7,000 fans (Washington was 2nd in the league with average attendance of 15,555).
Szmyt was an undrafted free agent coming out of college in 2023, and he spent his rookie training camp with the Chicago Bears, losing out to the veteran Cairos Santos. As far as I can tell from checking three databases, Szmyt didn’t actually kick in any preseason games for the Bears, but in his 5 seasons at Syracuse, he hit 81% of his field goal attempts and 98% of his extra point attempts.
Matthew McCrane
If you’re looking for the ‘local’ guy, DC Defenders kicker McCrane is the 3rd-leading scorer among kickers in the UFL. His success rate on field goals is 80%, having made 16-20.
In 2023, kicking for the Defenders in the XFL, McCrane was 12 for 16 (75%), missing exactly one kick from each range distance [20-29 yds, 4-5; 30-39 yds, 4-5; 40-49 yds, 3-4; 50+, 1-2].
McCrane didn’t play in ‘21 or ‘22 when there were no Spring leagues, but in 2020, he played for the NY Guardians of the XFL, and was a perfect 8-8 on FG attempts, including going 2-2 on 50+ yard kicks.
McCrane has a history with the NFL, having signed with the Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2018. In fact, he signed with a total of 4 different NFL teams in his rookie season, making 8 out of 12 attempts for a 67% success rate. He missed both of his attempts over 50 yards that season, and went 3-5 between 40-49 yards. He hasn’t played in the NFL regular season again, though he was on the training camp or practice squad rosters of the Browns, Cardinals and Eagles in 2020-21.
One potential advantage that McCrane brings to the competition is that the Defenders are a former XFL team, and McCrane played for the Defenders in 2023 when the XFL was using the hybrid kickoff format upon which the NFL’s 2024 rules are based. McCrane might well be able to add an understanding of strategies for the newly-important play that would make him an invaluable addition to the roster.
Jake Bates
It’s been reported that UFL kicker Jake Bates will try out with the Commanders, though wasn’t on the field at the same time as other kickers were trying out with the team on Tuesday. There are two possible reasons why his visit to Washington may be slightly delayed. One reason is that Bates was injured in his team’s playoff loss to the Stallions when he slipped and fell hard on a blocked field goal attempt. The second possible reason is that it has been reported that Bates may be pursued by several NFL teams.
#Commanders #Packers #Lions #Ravens have requested to host @USFLPanthers all-conference kicker Jake Bates for visits, per a league source. It’s a competitive situation for strong-legged kicker, a former #Texans preseason roster member and @TomballISD graduate @RazorbackFB @KPRC2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) June 11, 2024
The highest profile kicker in the UFL, Bates had the longest successful field goal of the ‘24 season at 64 yards, and he is the 2nd leading scorer among kickers. His 77% regular season success rate doesn’t look too inspiring (17 of 22) until one looks at the misses. He did miss a 39-yard attempt early in the season, but his other misses were from 51, 53, 58, and 62 yards. Including playoffs, Bates was 21 of 28 (75%), with a whopping seven 50-plus goals, three of which were from 60-plus yards.
In Week 5 against the Arlington Renegades, Bates hit 5/5 field goals to help his team with the game 28-27. Among his made field goals was a 60-yarder with 00:02 on the clock before halftime.
Bates played his college ball at Texas State and Arkansas, and was an undrafted free agent with the Houston Texans last season, where he lost out in a head-to-head battle with Ka’imi Fairbairn, which is nothing to be ashamed of.