The Green Bay Packers have made a, somewhat, definitive decision regarding their kicker position ahead of Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season.
Just three points saw the San Francisco 49ers defeat the Packers in the NFC Divisional Round, and the same scoreline was enough to secure the NFC West team a place in the Super Bowl as they also defeated the Detroit Lions.
These fine margins will always have teams considering every option available to improve themselves, with the Packers roster set up to compete and potentially push for another NFC Championship place in 2024.
With that in mind, the Packers have been proactive in looking at areas of potential weakness in the team, and the kicker position has been under particular scrutiny this pre-season, with a three-way competition between incumbent Anders Carlson, veteran Greg Joseph, and international rookie Alex Hale.
Despite looking to most likely be retained when all was said and done, the Packers have made the stunning decision to cut Carlson, who had done a decent, but not stellar, job during his rookie campaign.
However, comparisons were undoubtedly made by a fanbase that had been used to the ever-present Mason Crosby for 16 years.
If a player doesn’t live up to expectations set by a player who won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers, it will lead to calls for him to be replaced; even if he is still only just beginning his career and could develop into the kind of player the team needs.
Kicker Competition Comes to an End
Why Anders Carlson Deserved a Chance
Carlson made 72 scoring kick attempts during his debut season in the NFL: 33 field goals and 39 extra points. Of his 33 field goal attempts, he made 27 of them, which equates to a conversion rate of 81.8%. For his extra point attempts, he hit 34 of them, converting 87.2%.
In terms of field goal conversion, based on kickers that had at least 30 attempts last season, Carlson ranked 18th in the league. This is not ideal for a Packers team looking to compete for the Super Bowl, where less than a handful of points can be the difference between making it or not.
Carlson set an NFL rookie record for hitting at least one field goal in all 17 games through his debut regular season, with Cincinnati Bengals’ Evan McPherson the only other kicker in the entire league to also hit one in all regular season games (although he wasn’t a rookie).
He wasn’t stellar as a rookie and certainly missed some kicks that should have been made, but his averages were comparable to Crosby’s career averages in Green Bay, suggesting that expectations may have been too high on the former Auburn kicker, with the urgency to win placing an even higher importance on the position.
During camp, however, it looked as if Carlson was leading the way over his nearest competitors.
Carlson Appeared to Be Leading the Packers Competition
CBS Sports’ Packer Report’s Andy Herman has been tracking the three kickers throughout camp, posting their numbers all summer.
While quite close, Carlson did look to be leading the way over Joseph and Hale, hitting 81.6% (62 on 76) compared to Joseph’s 78.9% (60 on 76). Hale, who will be a non-roster international exception for the Packers this year, was clearly behind the others and won’t be considered an option this season unless all other options are injured.
With the better numbers of the three, it almost looked like Carlson was destined to get another chance to improve and show his worth in the regular season, but the Packers have opted to cut ties with the 26-year-old.
This leaves Joseph still on the roster at the time of writing, with the team likely looking at who else becomes available around the league before making a final decision on a position that could be the difference maker in 2024.
It’s a surprising move in some regards considering base numbers, but the Green Bay Packers are determined to push this team toward being a Super Bowl contender and Carlson, unfortunately, is on the receiving end of high expectations.
Main Photo: Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel-USA TODAY NETWORK
