Last offseason, the Green Bay Packers made the unpopular decision to move on from their all-time leading scorer, kicker Mason Crosby. In his place, the team selected Anders Carlson in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. This selection made many fans even more disappointed about the decision not to re-sign Crosby because many scouts believed Carlson would go undrafted. In other words, Green Bay could have picked another player and still signed Carlson after the draft.
What was even more confusing at the time (and, perhaps, still) is that the Packers did not bring in any competition at kicker during the offseason or training camp. The, quite literally, handed Carlson the job.
Unfortunately, Carlson did not perform nearly as well as the Packers had hoped or expected.
Green Bay Packers Kicker Anders Carlson Struggled as a Rookie While Mason Crosby Suited Up for 2 NFL Teams
It was apparent early on that Carlson was going to have a difficult season. He reportedly missed a lot of kicks during training camp, though did wow observers with his powerful leg.
The regular season, though, was a mess for Carlson. While he made 81.8% of his field goals, he made just 87.2% of his extra points. Concerningly, Carlson especially struggled with kicks between 40 and 49 yards. From those distances, he was just 4/8.
Crosby, meanwhile spent most of the 2023 NFL season waiting for the phone to ring. Eventually, he was signed by the Los Angeles Rams and assigned to their practice squad, but was cut before he was able to kick in a game.
After being released by the Rams, Crosby was picked up by the New York Giants. In three games with them, he made 5/7 field goals (one miss was from over 50 yards) and 6/7 extra points.
He is currently a free agent while Carlson is battling former Minnesota Vikings kicker Greg Joseph in OTA’s.
Mason Crosby Could Be Signed by the Washington Commanders, Who Just Released Brandon McManus
While the Packers have learned that they need competition at the kicker position to ensure they bring the best one onto their 53-man roster, the Washington Commanders settled on having just one: former Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Brandon McManus.
McManus signed with Washington earlier this offseason, but was recently sued by two former Jaguars employees who have accused him of sexual assault on Jacksonville’s London flight last season.
On Sunday evening, news broke that the Commanders had released McManus:
McManus was the only kicker on the Commanders’ roster, as mentioned. Now with no one at the position, they will undoubtedly be looking at any and all options, and that could include Crosby.
Perhaps with a full training camp, he could be even better than he was last year.
