The Washington Commanders took drastic action after another error-prone defeat to the Miami Dolphins in Week 11. Adam Peters and Dan Quinn have seen enough mistakes from Matt Gay. They released the veteran kicker after two more missed field goals took his season percentage down to 68.4.
Gay was visibly dejected after the game. He probably knew what was coming next, but the Commanders have no room for sentiment at 3-8 after so much was expected before the campaign.
Peters had a contingency plan in place. The Commanders signed Jake Moody off the Chicago Bears' practice squad to their active roster. The front-office leader knows him well from their time together on the San Francisco 49ers. He was also the same player who hit a walk-off field goal to condemn Washington to defeat in Week 6 on Monday Night Football.
Commanders' new kicker has an indifferent past wiith Deebo Samuel Sr.
The Commanders had to do something, even if this meant an awkward reunion between Washington's newest arrival and wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr.
Samuel and Moody famously clashed after the kicker's third missed field goal against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024. He did hit a game-winner that day, and the issue seemed to be quashed after the contest once emotions came down from the brink. However, it'll be interesting to see how the pair handles the inevitable friction questions coming their way.
Deebo Samuel grabbed the neck of long snapper Taybor Pepper and swiped at kicker Jake Moody after a third missed field goal pic.twitter.com/wFIK3p38DR
— Ollie Connolly (@OllieConnolly) November 10, 2024
Both are professional enough to keep any remaining bitterness about the incident at the back of their minds and focus on the common goal. That is to get the Commanders out of their alarming slump and, for Moody, to provide the kicking consistency sorely lacking with Gay.
Hopefully, from the Commanders' standpoint, it's all water under the bridge. Moody probably hasn't forgotten that shove in the face by Samuel to long-snapper Taybor Pepper, although the kicker eventually got the last laugh. They now find themselves teammates again, but it's something fans should monitor closely.
Samuel is aiming to finish the season strongly to improve his chances of a new deal. Moody will be looking to provide the stability needed for another go-around in 2026. They probably didn't expect to be sharing a locker room again, but the Commanders' strong leadership should ensure any remaining resentment stays in the past, where it belongs.
Peters felt like he had no choice. He'd left San Francisco by the time Samuel and Moody clashed, but he'll be praying that nothing simmers to the boil between the two in Washington.
Because if it does, that's not going to look favorably on the general manager.