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The Washington Commanders can avoid disaster if they act fast and steal one of these two kickers they loved in the draft
© Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The kicking situation has been a mess for a while now for the Washington Commanders, and the preseason didn't help any at all.

We all thought that special teams would be much improved this season after going all-in on veteran Matt Gay, but that doesn't seem to be the case, and the Commanders might need to act fast with more kicking options becoming available.

The clock is ticking...

Adam Peters opened his checkbook and got aggressive this offseason to find his next kicker. The Commanders signed Matt Gay to a fully guaranteed one-year deal worth over $4.25 million, and he went 2 for 4 in the preseason and missed both kicks from 49 yards or more.

The team hasn't had any competition in all of training camp, but the regular season is right around the corner, and they can't afford to let this become an issue that we look back on as a mistake. There are two kickers who they liked in the draft that might actually become available.

Andres Borregales

The Commanders were really high on Andres Borregales in the draft and held a private workout for the former Miami kicker during the draft process. The sixth-round pick has been battling a close competition with veteran John Parker Romo throughout the offseason, and it's coming down to the wire.

Borregales has had a great training camp, but Romo has been nearly flawless. The team has given Borregales a majority of kicks in the preseason, and he finished 3 for 5, with his makes coming from 22, 30, and 51 yards out, and his two misses came from 49 and 57 yard attempts. Romo only had two attempts and made both kicks from 28 and 57 yards out. Both kickers made all of their extra point attempts as well.

Will the Patriots go with draft status over a veteran presence? Either way, the Patriots will get rid of one quality kicker that the Commanders could bring in, and possibly a draft pick the Commanders wanted, but didn't have enough picks for.

Ryan Fitzgerald

Borregales wasn't the only kicker the Commanders loved in the draft process, as they also hosted Ryan Fitzgerald for a private workout before the draft. Fitzgerald shockingly went undrafted and signed with the Panthers after the draft. The Commanders signed Gay a few days after the draft instead.

The Panthers have another close competition between a rookie and a veteran, and it's going to be a close call between Matthew Wright and Fitzgerald, with roster cuts coming up. Fitzgerald made all three of his kicks this preseason, with makes from 32, 43, and 52 yards out. Wright has a lot of experience in the league, but missed his only kick this preseason from 55 yards.

The Commanders will absolutely have quality kicking options to add before the season starts, and they might have to bite the bullet and at least bring in competition to push Gay to perform up to his contract.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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