Jayden Daniels first took his jersey number. Then he took his job.
Washington Commanders punter Tress Way, who gave up his No. 5 uniform to the first-round pick last May, is one of the best in the NFL at his position. But thanks to a historically good offense, he’s barely had to run onto the field this season.
Through four games, Way has punted just four times. Last season over the same time span, he booted it away 17 times. Even more mind-boggling? Way has kicked the ball only once over the last three games.
“I have never seen anything like this,” Way told NBC News this week. “Every third down, you’re like, ‘All right, here we go. Let’s flip the field. Oops, psych! First down.’ And then you look up, one game, no punts. Another game, no punts. Another game, one punt.”
Why the sudden drop-off in time on the field? Daniels and new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s squad has been nearly unstoppable in 2024.
The Commanders (3-1) have scored 38 or more points in consecutive games for the first time since 1991 — the year the franchise last won the Super Bowl. Until the lone punt in Week 4, they had 16 consecutive scoring drives (excluding kneel-down situations).
Daniels, who hopes to finally be the answer for Washington after more than three decades of subpar quarterback play, has been exceptional. His 82% completion percentage is the highest through four games in NFL history. With a 107.4 quarterback rating, he ranks No. 2 in the NFC and No. 3 in the entire league.
Nobody needs to punt if the offense continually marches down the field.
“He’s so poised and calm and cool,” Way said of Daniels. “It’s hard to explain that, but when you’re standing on the sideline and you’re watching it happen in real time, it’s not surprising. You see his talent day in and day out at practice, but his feel for the game and how he plays? It’s just so impressive. It really is fun to watch.”
Way said the biggest challenge this season — if there even is one — is getting into a rhythm. He’s punting so infrequently that finding a groove hasn’t been easy. Way said he’s constantly thinking on the sideline about when he’s checking in, what the wind velocity is and what specifically to aim for.
When he finally went out for a punt with 3:07 left in the first half against the Cardinals, he “almost had some preseason jitters.”
“It was like, ‘Man, I haven’t been out there in a while. This is kind of cool,’” he said. “Obviously, I just tried to knock the cover off the ball and kind of hit it with some poor direction. It was a decent punt that our guys went down and made a great tackle. So we flipped the field and got out of there.”
Way has been with the franchise for the past 11 seasons, a period that has mostly been down years. Over that span, Washington has reached the postseason just three times — all first-round exits.
But over the past year, change has occurred.
Dan Snyder, known simply as “the NFL’s worst owner,” sold the franchise to Josh Harris and other investors last offseason. Executive Adam Peters, who won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos and took the San Francisco 49ers to the title game, was named general manager. Dan Quinn, a former head coach with the Atlanta Falcons and most recently the defensive coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys, accepted Washington’s top job. Oh, and it added the electrifying Daniels to be the potential face of the franchise.
All of these moves have led to “purposeful energy” around the facilities that did not previously exist, according to Way.
“[Wide receiver] Terry McLaurin looked at me in the third quarter of the game against Arizona. He goes ‘T-Way, this is fun, man.’ I was like, ‘Yes, this is a lot of fun,’” Way said. “I love being here. I’m honored to be here. I’m kind of just on demand. Hey, whenever we need to punt, I’m ready to roll.”
