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Commanders To Sign K Jake Moody Off Bears’ Practice Squad

November 17th, 2025 at 5:17pm CST by Adam La Rose

It has not taken long for the Commanders to find their Matt Gay replacement. The veteran was cut earlier today, and his successor has already been identified.

Washington is signing Jake Moody off the Bears’ practice squad, as first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Moody ended up making two appearances with Chicago, having signed there after his inconsistent San Francisco tenure came to an end early in the campaign. Moody’s brief stint with the Bears saw him connect on eight of his nine field goal attempts and all three of his XP tries.

The 49ers selected Moody with the 99th pick in the 2023 draft, making him the fifth kicker since 2000 to be selected in the first three rounds. The Michigan product ended up earning PFWA All-Rookie Team honors that season after he converted 84 percent of his FGA and 98.4 percent of his XPA. He also came up big in the postseason, including a Super Bowl performance where he was credited with 10 points.

He struggled a bit as a sophomore, as he made only 24 of his 34 field goal attempts. He had a particularly short leash to begin this year. In the season opener, he made only one of his three field goal attempts, with one of his misses being from only 27 yards out. Two days after that performance, the 49ers moved on.

Moody will now look to continue his career with his third squad of the 2025 campaign. Gay missed six of his 19 attempts before getting cut, and the team will surely be hoping for a better performance from their newest acquisition.

Ben Levine contributed to this post.

Commanders Release K Matt Gay

November 17th, 2025 at 3:37pm CST by Adam La Rose

Matt Gay‘s struggles continued on Sunday. The veteran kicker’s time in the nation’s capital has come to an end as a result.

Gay was released on Monday, per a Commanders announcement. He will now hit the waiver wire. In the likely event no claims are made, the 31-year-old will become a free agent. Based on how the 2025 season has gone, it will be interesting to see how much interest Gay generates.

“The performance, you’ve got to have it,” head coach Dan Quinn said of the decision to move on (via ESPN’s John Keim). “We wanted it to work long term with Matt. It wasn’t [about] one game.”

Gay has played in 10 of the Commanders’ 11 games this season. Over that span, he connected on just 13 of 19 attempts. Five of his misses came from beyond 50 yards, including two during yesterday’s game against the Dolphins. Washington wound up losing that contest 16-13 in overtime. Moving forward, the team will be in the market for a kicker addition to close out the season.

A Pro Bowler in 2021, Gay enjoyed a strong run during his time with the Rams and Colts. Accuracy from short range (including extra points) has been a consistent positive in his case, but long-distance field goals have remained an issue at every stop during his career. Gay’s overall success rate on tries beyond 50 yards sits at just 59.2%.

Recent years have seen a massive uptick in the range for many kickers around the league, and as such an ability to consistently convert from 50 yards (or well beyond) has increasingly become the expectation for NFL teams. With that in mind, Gay may struggle to generate a market among potential suitors for the remainder of the year as well as the coming offseason.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/15/25

November 15th, 2025 at 8:31pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s minor NFL moves and standard gameday practice squad elevations for tomorrow’s slate of games:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

With the 49ers set to see their starting quarterback return, Martinez’s presence on the 53-man roster is no longer necessary. He’ll likely find his way back to the team’s practice squad.

The Panthers’ two elevations, Barnes and Mukuamu, are direct reflections of injury absences for tomorrow’s game. With Trevin Wallace and Lathan Ransom ruled out for Sunday, Carolina made the decision to call up another player at each position.

Mevis will once again be called upon for kicking duties in Los Angeles. In his NFL debut last week, he was untested in terms of field goal attempts, but he converted all six extra point attempts in a blowout win in San Francisco.

Kamara in Tampa Bay is being called up for the third time this season. If the Buccaneers intend to play him in another game this year, they’ll need to sign him to the 53-man roster, much as the Ravens did after Bryan exhausted all three of his standard gameday practice squad elevations.

Commanders Designate DE Drake Jackson For Return From IR

November 13th, 2025 at 8:55am CST by Adam La Rose

Drake Jackson joined the Commanders one month ago, but in the immediate aftermath of that decision he was moved to injured reserve. The fourth-year defensive end has continued to rehab his injured knee since then.

[RELATED: IR Return Tracker]

Jackson is now moving closer to a Washington debut, though. His practice window has been opened, per a team announcement. Jackson now has up to 21 days to prepare for his first game action since Week 8 of the 2023 campaign. A torn patellar tendon cost him all of last season and ultimately led to the end of his 49ers tenure.

As a former second-round pick, Jackson was viewed as having upside for interested suitors but it remains unclear how much of an impact he will be able to make upon being activated. The Commanders’ defense has been reeling in recent weeks, and head coach Dan Quinn has taken over play-calling duties for the unit. Any additional help will be welcomed at this point.

If Jackson, 24, manages to serve as at least a depth contributor down the stretch, his free agent stock will receive a boost. The Commanders rank mid-pack in terms of sack production this season, with Dorance Armstrong and Von Miller leading the way. Jackson posted three sacks as a rookie, and then matched that figure in Week 1 of the following season before being held without one over the remainder of his appearances. Expectations will be tempered in this case, but the USC product could carve out a rotational role late in the year.

The Commanders have used one of their eight IR activations so far in 2025. Another will be accounted for when safety Will Harris – who was designated for return yesterday – is brought back into the fold. The same will also be true in Jackson’s case.

Commanders Designate S Will Harris For Return; Latest On Terry McLaurin

November 12th, 2025 at 10:08am CST by Connor Byrne

The Commanders have gone without safety Will Harris for most of 2025, an injury-ravaged season for the team. Harris is closing in on a return, though, as the Commanders opened his practice window on Wednesday. They’ll have 21 days to activate him from IR.

A former Lion and Saint, Harris signed a two-year, $8MM deal with the Commanders as a free agent last March. He started in Washington’s first three games and made 11 tackles before suffering a broken fibula in a Week 3 win over the Raiders. The Commanders were 2-1 at the time, but they’ve since fallen to 3-7 and drifted out of the NFC playoff race.

After Harris went down, the Commanders quickly added the experienced Darnell Savage to their secondary. Savage entered Washington with 82 career starts, and that number hasn’t changed. He has worked as a backup and played just under 22% of defensive snaps in seven games with the Commanders.

With Savage in a reserve role, Jeremy Reaves has gotten the lion’s share of playing time at safety alongside Quan Martin. Reaves is better known as a special teams contributor, but he has made six starts in 10 games and totaled 56 tackles and three passes defensed. Pro Football Focus ranks his performance a decent 41st among 91 qualifying safeties.

While it appears the Commanders’ defense will welcome Harris back in the coming weeks, wide receiver Terry McLaurin could rejoin their offense soon. McLaurin, who’s dealing with a quad injury, will not play when the Commanders face the Dolphins in Madrid on Sunday. However, head coach Dan Quinn said McLaurin will begin on-field rehab work this week (via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk).

Washington has a bye in Week 12, but McLaurin may be ready after that. After posting his fourth straight 17-game, 1,000-yard season and scoring a career-high 13 touchdowns in 2024, the two-time Pro Bowler has played in just four contests this year. That partially explains Washington’s precipitous drop in the standings after a 12-5 finish and a conference title game berth last season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/11/25

November 11th, 2025 at 8:45pm CST by Connor Byrne

Tuesday’s minor moves from around the NFL…

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

The NFL issued Williams a six-game ban without pay for violating its policy on performance-enhancing substances, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Williams will be eligible for reinstatement after Week 16. The undrafted rookie from LSU has picked up four carries for 11 yards in three games this year. 

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/11/25

November 11th, 2025 at 7:35pm CST by Connor Byrne

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad moves from around the NFL:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers 

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Released: LS Peter Bowden

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

The Panthers waived White from their practice squad on Nov. 8, but the team quickly brought the veteran signal-caller back. White will continue to provide experienced depth behind Bryce Young and Andy Dalton. He served as the Panthers’ emergency third QB in their Week 9 win over the Packers.

Commanders Sign DE DeMarcus Walker

November 11th, 2025 at 11:54am CST by Adam La Rose

DeMarcus Walker has lined up his next NFL gig. The veteran defensive end has signed with the Commanders, per an announcement from his agency.

Walker was cut by the Bears prior to free agency, ending his tenure in the Windy City after two years there. Little interest was shown afterwards, although the Giants and Lions hosted him for visits in April. Neither of those teams moved forward with a deal, however, and Walker remained on the open market deep into the regular season. His 2025 debut could come on Sunday.

This is a practice squad deal, ESPN’s John Keim notes to no surprise. Walker is present with the Commanders in Madrid, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic adds. Washington will take on Miami in the NFL’s first game played in Spain for Week 11. Walker’s presence with his new team means he could be designated as a gameday elevation from the practice squad for that contest.

The 31-year-old has made 100 career appearances across his time with the Broncos, Texans, Titans and Bears. His one-and-done Tennessee campaign saw Walker set a career high with seven sacks. He took on a much larger workload in Chicago, operating as a starter and collecting 3.5 sacks in both of his Bears campaigns. Walker will now look to carve out a depth role with the Commanders to close out the campaign.

Washington is dealing with a number of injuries on both sides of the ball, and veteran depth at any spot will be welcomed. The 3-7 team sits near the bottom of the league in a number of defensive categories and DC Joe Whitt Jr. will no longer call plays. The Commanders do rank mid-pack in terms of sack production (22), but improving in that department would still be welcomed during the second half of the season.

Walker’s 2026 market value will of course be determined by his performances over the coming weeks. It will be interesting to see how large of a workload he handles with Washington down the stretch and whether or not he does enough to warrant a new pact along a quicker timeline next year.

Commanders CB Trey Amos Could Miss Remainder Of Season

November 11th, 2025 at 9:42am CST by Adam La Rose

The list of major injuries continues to pile up in the case of the Commanders. Rookie cornerback Trey Amos could miss the remainder of the campaign.

Amos exited Washington’s Week 10 game, and head coach Dan Quinn announced (via JP Finlay of NBC Sports) he suffered a broken fibula. The second-rounder is in store for a lengthy absence as a result, and he could very well miss the closing weeks of his debut NFL campaign. At a minimum, a move to injured reserve should be expected.

[RELATED: Quinn Takes Over As Defensive Play-Caller]

An IR stint would guarantee at least a four-week absence for Amos, who has logged eight starts this year. No timeline is in place for the 23-year-old, although Quinn confirmed to no surprise (via the Washington Post’s Vic Tafur) Amos will be sidelined “for a while.” This news comes not long after fellow cornerback starter Marshon Lattimore suffered an ACL tear.

Upgrading the secondary was seen as a priority for the Commanders this past offseason. Lattimore – acquired via trade at last year’s deadline – served as a full-time starter in 2025 and he will be counted on to do so once healthy next season. The same will be true of Amos, who has logged a 78% snap share and notched six pass deflections so far. The Louisiana, Alabama and Ole Miss product will turn his attention to recovery and with Washington out of postseason contention his next action could be delayed until 2026.

In other Commanders injury news, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic reports wideout Treylon Burks underwent finger surgery on Monday. His recovery period is not expected to be a long one, but the former Titans first-rounder is not traveling with the team to Madrid for its Week 11 game. Burks, who was added not long after his injury-plagued Tennessee tenure came to an end, will look to heal in time for Week 13 when the Commanders return from their bye.

Dan Quinn To Take Over Commanders’ Defensive Play-Calling Role

November 10th, 2025 at 10:57pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Commanders head coach Dan Quinn will take over as the team’s defensive play-caller, he announced on Monday (via Tashan Reed of The Washington Post).

Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr., who served under Quinn in Atlanta and Dallas, will retain his position, but his unit has struggled mightily so far this year. Washington ranks 29th in points allowed and 30th in total defense after finishing 18th and 13th in the same categories last year. The Commanders’ pass defense has been especially porous, allowing 7.9 yards per attempt and just over 260 yards per game.

The unit is largely the same, save for two key departures along the defensive line: DT Jonathan Allen and DE Dante Fowler. Their replacements, Javon Kinlaw and Von Miller, simply haven’t been as effective.

However, that may not tell the whole story. No Commanders defensive back with any kind of regular role on defense has a coverage grade over 65.0, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). While PFF grades are not a be-all, end-all of player evaluation, they still offers a glimpse at the team’s current disarray on the back end. Veteran cornerback Marshon Lattimore is the only member of the secondary that has allowed a passer rating under 100.0 when targeted, and that does not account for the nine penalties called against him.

Quinn will look to right the ship. He has extensive experience as a play-caller, not only from his defensive coordinator jobs in Seattle and Dallas, but from his first head-coaching job with the Falcons. Quinn took over defensive play-calling on two separate instances during his tenure in Atlanta, though neither time featured a full turnaround.

The first was in 2016 when Quinn took over from then-Falcons DC Richard Smith, and even slight improvements on defense were enough to support the league’s best offense on the way to the Super Bowl. The second came in 2019, when Quinn turned a bottom-five unit into a more respectable one. He was fired in 2020 after an 0-5 start during which the Falcons defense allowed 32.2 points and 446 yards per game.

Obviously, he will be hoping for a more inspired bounce-back this year, but it seems unlikely that he can do enough to drag the team into the playoffs. A tough schedule and multiple injuries to quarterback Jayden Daniels has led to a 3-7 start, and things won’t be any easier going forward. Daniels has an uncertain return timeline after his most recent injury, and the Commanders still have two games against the Eagles and another against the Broncos left on the calendar.

Quinn’s decision is a sign that Whitt could be out of Washington this offseason. A midseason firing would have been a surprise given the two men’s history, but Quinn did part ways with Smith after the 2016 season concluded.

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