Brandon McManus’ release, in light of his controversial allegations against him, has left a kicker-shaped void in the Washington Commanders. The franchise signed Ramiz Ahmed for the OTAs, as the teams aren’t allowed to contact the UFL players until their season ends. But according to recent reports, now the team has their eyes out for a few kickers from the UFL as potential replacements.

UFL Jake Bates and Matt McCrane are reported to have intrigued the interest of Adam Peters and the squad. Michigan Panthers’ star, who recently popped into headlines for his 64-yard goal, has four teams vying for him! As per Aaron Wilson’s reports, apart from the Commanders, the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, and the Baltimore Ravens have all requested to host Bates.

As for Matt McCrane, the NFL Network reported that the DC Defenders’ kicker “worked out” for the Commanders this Tuesday. Moreover, Andre Szmyt was also hosted in Washington today. The St. Louis Battlehawks’ kicker led the league in points this season, closely followed by Bates at 2nd and McCrane at 4th position.

Among the three UFL stars, the competition is bound to be cut-throat, with all three being skilled kickers. While McCrane has NFL experience, having played with the Raiders, Cardinals, and Steelers, Smytz has 14 out of 16 successful field goals, with the longest at 61 yards. Bates is the hot favorite at the moment after coming off an ankle injury after the semi-finals.

Dan Quinn’s message after the Brandon McManus saga

After signing the former Jaguars kicker in a one-year deal, the franchise decided to release McManus after allegations of sexual assault were imposed against him. Two flight attendants accused him of inappropriate behavior during a flight with the Jaguars players last year. After the whole fiasco, Washington’s head coach had a strongly worded message for his squad.

“I can’t comment a lot, but what I can say is a little bit about what I told the team and I think like most things, not necessarily related to this, but as a lesson, let’s make sure you always let somebody know and tell them,” wrote Quinn on the team’s official website. “It’s usually much more difficult in your head than it is really having the actual conversation. And so just wanted to make sure I got a lesson out to the guys as we’re going through it. So, we did release Brandon. I found out some of the information on May 27 and then we released him on June 3.”

Brandon McManus’s release has made it clear that Washington Commanders do not want any problematic elements going into the 2024 season. The franchise is already on the lookout for a new kicker, and it’s going to be interesting to see who makes the cut.