The Green Bay Packers have a number of position battles going on during training camp in an effort to ensure that they put the best team possible out on the field this season. One of the most noteworthy of these battles is the starting kicker job being hashed out between second-year pro Anders Carlson and former Minnesota Vikings player Greg Joseph.
Unfortunately, neither kicker has done much in camp, or in preseason games, to separate himself from the other. Joseph, in particular, missed a field goal in Green Bay’s 27-2 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week Two of the preseason, and then went 1/4 during practice on Tuesday.
The problem is that Carlson has not been much better, with an 80.3% made kick percentage in training camp compared to 77.9% for Joseph (per Andy Herman).
The Green Bay Packers Need a New Kicker in the Worst Way
Green Bay Packers place kicker Anders Carlson (17) kicks a field goal during the fourth quarter of their game Sunday, December 3, 2023 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 27-19.
The whole reason why Joseph was brought in to compete for the starting kicker job was because Carlson was one of the worst kickers in the NFL last season. As a rookie, he made 81.8% of his field goal attempts and just 87.5% of his extra points.
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No kicker in the league missed as many kicks as Carlson did last season, with the then-rookie missing at least one kick in 10 of Green Bay’s last 12 games, including their two postseason games.
While there are always multiple reasons why a team wins or loses a game, it is worth noting that Carlson’s inability to consistently make his kicks helped lead to several losses.
The Packers lost their Week Seven game to the Broncos by a score of 19-17 in Denver. Carlson missed a field goal that could have given them a 20-19 win. Similarly, the Packers lost to the New York Giants 24-22 in Week 14, and Carlson missed a field goal that would have given them a 25-24 win.
Again, these losses are not all on Carlson. After all, Jordan Love and the offense gave Green Bay a 22-21 lead with less than a minute left against New York, but the defense allowed the Giants to march down the field for a game-winning field goal.
In the NFC Divisional Round against the San Francisco 49ers, which the Packers lost 24-21, Carlson missed another field goal.
If Green Bay felt confident that Carlson would improve and that they could definitely win with him, they would not have brought in competition for him in the first place. With both kickers struggling in camp, perhaps it is time for them to look elsewhere.
1. Brandon McManus
Dec 18, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos place kicker Brandon McManus (8) watches his ball on a missed field goal in the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
One free agent kicker that remains unsigned is Brandon McManus. He won a Super Bowl during his nine seasons with the Broncos before kicking for the Jacksonville Jaguars last year.
The problem, though, is that he is not much better than Carlson, at least on field goals. His career 81.4% field goal percentage is not exactly stellar, though is much better on extra point attempts (97.2%).
Last season with the Jaguars, McManus made just 81.1% of his field goals but was perfect on his extra point attempts.
The last time he had a season field goal percentage over 85% was in 2019 (85.3%).
2. Randy Bullock
New York Giants place kicker Randy Bullock (46) watches his game-winning field goal go through the upright during the fourth quarter, Sunday, November 26, 2023.
Free agent Randy Bullock has a career field goal percentage of 83.4% and an extra point percentage of 95.8%. Last season, he appeared in six games for the Giants, making five of his six field goal attempts and all 10 of his extra points.
An 11-year veteran, Bullock has played for a total of six NFL teams during his career. His longest stint was four and a half seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, but he also had two-year stints with the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans.
3. Mason Crosby
Green Bay Packers place kicker Mason Crosby (2) against the Los Angeles Rams during their football game on Monday December, 19, 2022 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis.
Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Undoubtedly, Mason Crosby, the kicker the Packers replaced with Carlson, is the one that fans would like to see brought back the most.
However, for his career, Crosby’s made field goal percentage is just 81.2%. In three games with the Giants last season, Crosby made five of seven field goals (71.4%) and six of seven extra points (85.7%).
It is also highly unlikely that the organization would admit they made a mistake and bring him back, but until they find someone else, Carlson proves himself, or Crosby signs elsewhere/retires, his name will always be brought up.