The Commanders are signing Zane Gonzalez to their practice squad after a workout with the team, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
Washington’s starting kicker, Austin Seibert, has been dealing with a hip issue in practice this week, raising doubt about his availability for Sunday’s game against the Steelers.
Gonzalez owns a career field goal percentage of 80.5% with an extra point conversion rate of 94.8% after 63 appearances with the Browns, Cardinals, and Panthers since 2017. He has not played in the NFL since 2021, though it was the best season of his career with 20 of 22 field goal attempts made, including a career-long 57-yarder.
If Seibert is unable to play on Sunday, the Commanders will elevate Gonzalez from the practice squad to replace him.
Losing a kicker for a week isn’t disastrous for an NFL team, but Seibert has been one of the NFL’s best this season with 25 makes on 27 attempts, both league-highs. He has also converted all 22 extra point attempts to ensure the Commanders are getting the most out of their explosive offense.
The Commanders also worked out former Packers kicker Brayden Narveson, per Garafolo. Both kickers made all but one kick in their workout, but Washington opted for Gonzalez due to his familiarity with the coaching staff. He played under offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury in Arizona in 2019 and 2020 when Kingsbury was the Cardinals’ head coach.