Breaking news:Packers Seeking Veteran to Challenge Kicker Anders Carlson
The Packers refrained from adding a seasoned kicker, even while rookie Anders Carlson struggled. With the recent developments around NFL free agency, that may alter.
GREEN BAY, Wisconsin: According to a league insider who spoke with Packer Central, the Green Bay Packers were on the verge of signing an experienced kicker to pose a serious threat to Anders Carlson. For the sake of this story, the kicker’s identity will be kept anonymous. But he has played kicker full-time for several seasons.
The kicker accepted a contract offer from the Packers, the source said, only to have his mind changed and sign with a different team. The story isn’t that the Packers lost out on a veteran. Instead, it’s evidence that general manager Brian Gutekunst wants to establish true competition, something Carlson was able to do last year while playing all by himself through training camp, the preseason, and his uneven rookie year.
There will be competition in the room, but I’m excited to see what he does in Year 2,” Gutekunst stated at the Scouting Combine. COMMERCIAL Jack Podlesny, a former great player for Georgia, was signed postseason. After training camp opened with the Minnesota Vikings last summer, he was cut without making a kick in a preseason game.
The kicker position has been selected over the first several weeks of NFL free agency, much like the majority of positions. There are eight signed veterans. The final three experienced kickers available are Randy Bullock (83.4 percent for six teams over 11 seasons), Brett Maher (79.9 percent for the Cowboys, Saints, Cowboys again, and Vikings), and Greg Joseph (82.6 percent on field goals in five seasons for the Browns, Titans, and Vikings).
A scout stated that he would prefer the 28-year-old Joseph to Bullock and Maher, 34. Last year, Carlson was the final kicker chosen out of three in the sixth round of the draft.
His rookie year got off to a great start. He was 7 of 7 on field goals and 10 of 10 on extra points through five weeks. He did, however, miss one kick in each of the two postseason games and the final 12 regular season games. The Packers missed a number of field goals, including a 43-yarder in a two-point defeat to Denver, a 45-yarder in a two-point loss to the Giants, and an extra point that forced them to attempt a late touchdown in a four-point loss to Pittsburgh.
The team never truly thought about adding a veteran, even with the Packers heading into a divisional-round matchup against the 49ers, Carlson in a rut, and special teams coach Rich Bisaccia growing more and more frustrated by inquiries. Coach Matt LaFleur stated at the time, “I think it’s part of the process, but we’d like to get through it without any hiccups.”
As expected, there was yet another hitch. Carlson missed a 41-yard field goal halfway through the fourth quarter that would have given the Packers a 24-17 lead in the three-point loss to the Niners. After the miss, the 49ers drove to the game-winning touchdown. No one missed more kicks during the regular season than Carlson. Carlson had an 81.8 percent success rate and ended 23rd out of 31 kickers who attempted at least 20 field goals. A league-high five extra points were missed by him.
It would not have been necessary for the Packers to give up on the clearly gifted Carlson. A veteran may have been added to the practice squad and made a starter for the games. Instead, with the season on the line, they took a chance—and lost—that Carlson could overcome his inconsistent play. The 49ers selected kicker Jake Moody in the third round, and the Patriots selected kicker Chad Ryland in the fourth round. Moody ranked 19th in field-goal accuracy (84.0 percent) and missed one extra point. Ryland was worst in the NFL on field goals (64.0 percent) and also missed one extra point.
Regarding Carlson, Gutekunst stated, “He has to get better.” That is crucial. He performed pretty well this year, in my opinion, and became better as the year went on. Still, it will be crucial, and competition will play a factor in that. “I believe he had a successful first year. You look at previous rookie years around here; everyone understands that this weather makes it difficult to kick. He had a good year, in my opinion, but if he wants to keep improving, there needs to be a learning curve. I definitely appreciate his methodical approach. He manages the pressure really well and remains really composed.
