Tress Way receives respect in new punter rankings

But we think he should’ve been ranked higher.

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Tress Way has been with the Washington Commanders longer than any other player on the roster. Washington claimed Way off waivers on Aug. 20, 2014, and has been the team’s punter ever since.

Way is a popular player amongst his teammates and the fans. Way is active in the community and chronicles his family life at times with his adorable children, one of whom is a huge Terry McLaurin fan.

Way also happens to be one of the NFL’s best punters. Way made the second Pro Bowl of his career in 2022. Almost 45% of Way’s 83 punts landed inside the 20-yard line last season, making him a valuable weapon.

CBS Sports recently ranked the NFL’s top punters. Way made the list at No. 9.

One of the most important statistics for a punter is net yards per kick and during the 2022 season, Way ranked seventh in the NFL with an average of 43 yards per punt. That’s an impressive number, considering Way was asked to punt the ball 83 times last season, which was tied for the fourth-most in the NFL.

In both 2020 and 2021, Way ranked in the top five in yards per punt, which wasn’t surprising, given how he’s been kicking the ball over the course of his career. Since entering the NFL in 2014, Way has slowly turned into one of the best punters in the league. In 2018, not only did the lead the league in punts inside the 20, but he was also the only full-time punter in the NFL who didn’t kick a touchback. In 2020, he only kicked three touchbacks, making him one of just three punters who had three or less touchbacks on 60 or more punts.

Have we said rankings are subjective?

Way is ranked in the top 10, which is right, but we believe he’s even better than that. Whatever metric you use for punting statistics, Way is at or near the top. And he’s consistent every season.

In what has been an unstable franchise, Way has remained one of the constants for a decade.