Tag: K Michael Badgley

Joey Slye wins kicking job as Commanders make roster moves

Slye will be Washington’s kicker again in 2023.

The Washington Commanders were off from practice Sunday as they prepare for Monday’s night preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens from FedEx Field.

While the players received a much-needed day off, the front office was busy making tweaks to the roster. With the new NFL rule that all roster cuts can be made at once, the new deadline for teams is Aug. 29 to trim rosters from 90 players to 53.

On Sunday, the Commanders cut two players — and signed two, keeping them at 90 players.

The outgoing players are kicker Michael Badgley and wide receiver Jalen Sample. Washington signed defensive tackle Isaiah Mack and punter Michael Palardy to replace them.

Badgley was signed just before training camp to compete with Joey Slye. The Commanders like Slye. He has a strong leg, has made some big field goals and is excellent on kickoffs. He made 25 of 30 field goals in 2022 but missed four PATs.

While Badgley pushed Slye, it was clear that the incumbent was the clear winner this summer. Slye will enter his third season with Washington.

Sample was a 6-foot-4 undrafted free agent from Minnesota State-Mankato who was stuck down the depth chart at one of the strongest positions on Washington’s roster.

Mack is a 6-foot-1, 299-pound defensive tackle from UT Chattanooga. He entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2019 with the Tennessee Titans. He has also spent time on the rosters of the Patriots, Broncos, Steelers, Ravens, Seahawks and Jets. The Jets released Mack on Aug. 8 after he was signed in January. He has appeared in 23 games with 11 tackles.

Palardy, 31, has been in the NFL since 2014. He has spent time on the rosters of the Raiders, Rams, Panthers, Ravens, Colts, Browns, Falcons, Panthers [again], Dolphins and Patriots. His longest stint was with Carolina from 2016-20, when he was current Washington head coach Ron Rivera’s punter. He has punted in 80 career games and averaged 44.9 yards per punt.

Palardy is the second punter Washington since this preseason due to a minor back injury to Tress Way. Like he did in last week’s preseason opener, Way will hold in the game, but will not punt, opening the door for Palardy.

 

Commanders Tress Way involved in kicking competition

Way weighs on Washington’s kicking competition.

Tress Way is in a big competition this training camp.

No, Way is not in danger of losing his job as punter. However, the veteran of 145 Washington regular season games is heavily involved in the battle for place kicker.

Way is the holder on extra points and field goal attempts; thus Way is holding for both Joey Slye and Michael Badgley in the battle for the kicker roster spot.

This also involves long snapper Camaron Cheeseman. Way conveyed Friday that Cheeseman is working hard at his game as well.

“He’s been working on this grip and man, he’s throwing nails, but that hardest transition is into those team periods and preseason.  We were talking about it after because, I mean, that dude works his tail off, and it’s been bugging him. And I was like, man, that’s the ultimate time to just trust yourself; you gotta do it like you gotta go out there, the team situations and preseason games because it’s ultimately the way to go. He has been snapping great.”

Way talked of how Cheeseman is not relaxing but is working to develop more of his skill set.  He referred to last season:

“He was snapping good, he just didn’t really like his rotation. And me being the holder, I was like, yeah, man, I’d really like a perfect spiral too; that’d be nice to catch. And so, he’s just working on it and made that change this summer.”

Back to the kicking competition. If both are to perform at their very best throughout training camp, then it is also up to the holder (Way) to not only make a clean catch of the snap, but get the ball down with the particular preference of each kicker.

“The biggest thing is just remembering their tilts. Every kicker with their swing plane and how they position their foot; they like the ball and different tilts. And then, ultimately, it’s just kind of kind of fun being the middleman. Like I feel the snap from Cheese, and I’m trying to give these guys the best opportunity. I mean, dude, those specialist competitions, they’re no joke.”

Way was then asked about the difference in the preferences of the two kickers competing for the job.

“Joey likes his ball a little bit more forward, and he kind of has this swing plane where, I mean, it’s really beautiful to watch. He kind of comes up and through and goes through the entire ball, and Badge is kinda more like that old school style where it’s a little bit tilted to the side but straight up and down in terms of depth, and he just comes sweeping through.”

One thing Way made abundantly clear is that he wants no part of kickoffs. He is leaving that to the winner of the battle between Slye and Badgley.