Giants Country

This Commanders Player is an Outside-the-Box  "Steal a Player" Choice for Giants

We continue our "steal a player" series with a special teams asset currently employed by a Giants division rival they'll see in Week 11.

Patricia Traina

This Commanders Player is an Outside-the-Box  "Steal a Player" Choice for Giants
This Commanders Player is an Outside-the-Box  "Steal a Player" Choice for Giants /
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As we count down to training camp, the Giants Country editorial team went through the rosters of each of the Giants' 2023 regular-season opponents and selected a player that, if the Giants could acquire for the upcoming season, they absolutely should.

Who did we pick from each team? Stay tuned--and yes, for the NFC East teams, we picked two players since the Giants play them twice.

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Tress Way, Punter 

Height: 6-foot-1 | Weight: 220 pounds
College: Oklahoma| Exp: 10 years
Career Stats:  145 games played, 653 punts, 30,676 yards. Gross avg. 47.0; net 41.5. 43 touchbacks; 244 In20

Thus far in our "Steal a Player" series, we've heavily emphasized receiver for our choices of players on other teams we wouldn't mind seeing on the Giants.

We're going outside the box by selecting punter Tress Way for this second go-round with the Washington Commanders. Way, a two-time Pro Bowler (2019 and 2022) and second-team All-Pro (2019), originally went undrafted out of Oklahoma in 2013 and was signed by the Chicago Bears. However, he didn't make the final training camp cut and was cast onto the waiver wire.

Way re-signed with the Bears during the 2014 offseason but again failed to stick on the roster, losing the punting competition to rookie Pat O'Donnell.

But bigger and better things were in store for Way, as the Washington Commanders (then known by another name) scooped him up. Neither party has looked back since. Way beat out veteran Robert Malone for the punting job and rewarded Washington's faith in him by leading the NFL in gross punting average with 47.5 yards. The now 33-year-old was also voted a special teams captain for the 2015 season.

MORE "STEAL A PLAYER" PICKS

Week 1: Micah Parsons | Week 2: Budda Baker | Week 3: Fred Warner | Week 4: Tariq Woolen | Week 5: Tyreek Hill | Week 6: Stefon Diggs | Week 7: Terry McLaurin | Week 8: Garrett Wilson | Week 9: DE Maxx Crosby | Week 10: WR CeeDee Lamb

As he got older, Way got better. In 2019, he again led the league in gross punting average (49.6) and was 3elected to his first Pro Bowl and named Second Team All-Pro.

More recently, Way, who has never averaged less than 45.1 yards per punt in any given season and has only had two career blocked punts, was named to his second Pro Bowl last season after finishing with a 46.8 yards per punt average.

Way not only has a big leg, but he also has the necessary touch to drop balls into tight spaces, as evidenced by his 244 career punts placed inside the 20. While it is true a punter benefits from good coverage from his gunners, Way, who is also not afraid to get his nose dirty and make a tackle if he has to, has certainly done his part to make life easier for his coverage team, the Commanders finishing fourth last season in average yards per punt allowed (6.4).

Where Would He Fit In?

The Giants currently have Jamie Gillan, a young, left-footed punter with a big leg. And while it's fair to say that Gillan hasn't always benefitted from stellar coverage play, his inconsistency and lack of touch at times have been somewhat maddening to watch.

The Giants aren't ready to give up on Gillian, who received a two-year contract extension from the team this past off-season. At some point, though, if Gillan can't develop into a complete punter capable of executing the sorter pooch kicks requiring touch, it's certainly fair to wonder how long the Giants will remain patient with him.

Meanwhile, Way has shown no signs of slowing down; he's been getting better as he ages. While it's doubtful the Commanders will toss him back out onto the open market if Way were to become available, he'd likely have no shortage of suitors given his leg and directional kicking ability, which makes him a weapon in flipping the field.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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