The Washington Commanders will have a new combination on special teams when they take the field for their first game following the bye week.
Jake Moody became the eighth kicker of the Dan Quinn era after signing with the franchise off the Chicago Bears’ practice squad following the bye week. The news came one day after the Commanders moved on from Matt Gay following two missed field goals in a 16-13 overtime loss vs. Miami in Madrid.
“Matt [Gay] has been a fantastic teammate here and like an all-time good dude," Quinn said following the loss ahead of the bye week. "So yeah, really bummed that it didn't work out. But, yeah, we just felt, ‘hey, this is the change that we needed’. And I just kind of make all decisions, ‘Hey, this is what we think at this time is the best decisions for the team’. When they're hard like this one because of who the person is. It makes it especially difficult, but you still have to make decisions you think are best for the whole team.”
The Commanders ranked 30th in the NFL in made field goals (13) and 32nd in field goal percentage (68.4%) ahead of the Week 13 ‘Sunday Night Football’ matchup vs. Denver.
“We're just not making those kicks. Not just the ones yesterday. We just want to look at the big picture of things and make sure we can just make the decisions that are best for the team," Quinn said. "It was a hard one for sure, but, you know, like at that position, the performance, you know, got to have it and, you know, so really bummed. We wanted us to work out long-term with Matt but that was the decision that we felt was best, but it wasn't from one game for sure.”
Moody kicked the game-winning 38-yard field goal back to lift Chicago over Washington back on Oct. 13 in a 25-24 finish, while the longtime NFL kicker is 9-of-12 in three games with the Bears in 2025. He is 54-of-71 overall in his career, including 30-of-41 on attempts 40 yards or more.
Moody was a third-round pick during the 2023 NFL Draft when Adam Peters, now the Commanders’ general manager, was still with the San Francisco 49ers.
In his first game now with Washington, Moody will have a new long snapper to work with after the Commanders ruled out starter Tyler Ott due to an illness/back injury designation. Ott was listed as a full participant on Thursday after not practicing on Wednesday, though the team officially ruled him out on Sunday morning.
His absence paves the way for Zach Triner to make his first start with the team. Triner signed to the Commanders’ practice squad this week and was elevated to the 53-man roster on Friday to fill the hole on special teams. The veteran snapper is now on his eighth NFL team, including fourth in 2025 after the Broncos, Seahawks and Falcons, after posting 84 appearances with the Buccaneers and Dolphins from 2019 to 2024.