Who is Matthew Wright? What to know about Commanders' Week 8 kicker vs. Chiefs

For the second time in three weeks, Matthew Wright has joined an NFL team as a fill-in kicker.

Wright, 29, will be the Washington Commanders' kicker for their Week 8 "Monday Night Football" clash with the Kansas City Chiefs. Matt Gay, the Commanders' usual starting kicker, is dealing with a back injury and was downgraded to out earlier in the day on Oct. 27.

Washington signed Wright to its practice squad and elevated him to the active roster ahead of the prime-time matchup with the reigning AFC champions.

It's the second time this month that Wright is taking on kicking duties in relief of a team's injured starter. On Oct. 12, Wright played in the Tennessee Titans' Week 6 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. He made his only field goal attempt from 46 yards out and also made his only extra point attempt.

The Commanders will be the seventh NFL team of Wright's career. He has never played in every game in a full season with one team, though he has filled in for short stints with multiple teams.

Wright has had four separate stints with the Pittsburgh Steelers, three stints with the Kansas City Chiefs and Carolina Panthers, two stints with the Titans – including his one-game outing earlier this year – and played 14 games with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021 plus one game with the San Francisco 49ers last year.

During his two games with the Chiefs last year, filling in for Harrison Butker as he dealt with a knee injury, Wright kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired to beat the Los Angeles Chargers and clinch the AFC West.

Matthew Wright stats

In 30 games across six different NFL teams, here's how Wright's kicking stats look:

• PATs: 42-for-44 (95.5%)
• FGs: 56-for-64 (87.5%)
  • 20-29 yards: 12-for-12 (100%)
  • 30-39 yards: 22-for-23 (95.7%)
  • 40-49 yards: 15-for-18 (83.3%)
  • 50+ yards: 7-for-11 (63.6%)
• Career-long: 59 yards