GB Packers Waive Kicker, Competition Down to Two Finalists
The Green Bay Packers brought in more than just a little competition this offseason for incumbent place kicker Anders Carlson.
The 2nd-year pro had a rough go of it last year, particularly down the stretch, and missed a total of 11 kicks as a rookie, including 5 extra points.
Perhaps more painful than that was the fact that Carlson missed one field goal and an extra point between the two postseason games.
As the Packers re-enter the contender chat in 2024, it's important that the team solidify all positions on the roster, including one that scores as often as kicker.
This offseason, Green Bay brought in both Jack Podlesny and former Viking Greg Joseph to challenge and compete with Carlson for the starting job.
As of Wednesday, the competition has narrowed a bit, as the team has waived Podlesny ahead of the start of training camp next month:
On Wednesday, the Green Bay Packers announced their release of kicker Jack Podlesny, who had been practicing with the team throughout organized team activities and minicamp. Podlesny, a former Georgia Bulldog, got his start with the Minnesota Vikings last season as an undrafted free agent. After he was released at cutdowns of 2023, Podlesny resurfaced when he signed a reserve/futures deal with the Green Bay Packers in January.
It's a good sign for the Packers for numerous reasons.
First, it shows that the team has seen enough from the top two that they believe they have a starting caliber kicker on the roster. Second, it opens up a roster spot for another youngster at different position to have a shot during training camp.
Last season, Carlson was 27 of 33 on field goals, while posting a 34-39 effort on extra points. By comparison, longtime Vikings kicker Greg Joseph was 24 of 30 on field goals and 36-38 on point after tries.
We'll likely see the team carry both kickers into training camp, where the competition will heat up and only one of the pair will make it on to the opening day roster.
Training camp for the Packers begins in Green Bay on Monday, July 22nd. The preseason opener for Green Bay is at Cleveland on Saturday, August 10th.
Sources: Packers.com, Acme Packing Company, and Pro Football Reference (Stats)
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