The Green Bay Packers have a number of intriguing position battles taking place in training camp. None has been as frustrating, though, as the competition between Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph for who will be the team’s starting kicker.
The entire reason for the competition in the first place is because Carlson did not have a good season after the Packers took him in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft to replace their all-time leading scorer, Mason Crosby. Carlson made just 81.8% of his field goal attempts and 87.5% of his extra point attempts.
He also missed at least one kick in 10 of Green Bay’s final 12 games, including their two postseason games.
Green Bay Packers Kickers Anders Carlson and Greg Joseph Have Struggled in Training Camp
Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
According to respected Packers reporter Andy Herman, both Carlson and Joseph have struggled throughout training camp, with the latter having a particularly bad day on Tuesday, making just one of this four kicks:
As one can see in Herman’s post, Joseph has completely collapsed following his strong start to camp. He also missed Green Bay’s lone field goal attempt in their 27-2 loss to the Denver Broncos.
One may also notice that he has now made less than 80% of his kick attempts, and that Carlson is making his at a lower rate than he did last season.
The Green Bay Packers Give Alex Hale Their International Player Pathway Designation
Earlier today (Wednesday), the Packers announced a very intriguing roster move involving the kicker position. They decided to release Kenneth Odumegwu, a Nigerian-born defensive end who had not even played football until last year when he first came to Green Bay.
Odumegwu was a part of the International Pathway Player program. This program allows teams to carry an international player on their 90-man roster during the preseason and practice squad during the regular season without them counting towards the roster limit.
With Odumegwu being released, the Packers gave the designation to Alex Hale, an Australian-born kicker who went undrafted this year.
Hale played college football at Oklahoma State where he made 95.9% of his extra point attempts and 79.6% of his field goals. His best season was in 2020 when he made all 18 of his extra points and 13 of his 14 field goals (92.9%).
As one can see from Herman’s post above, though, he has struggled in training camp as well.
What Does This Move Mean for the Green Bay Packers Going Forward?
Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.
This move means that the Packers are planning on working with and developing Hale on their practice squad. Due to his IPP designation, he will be the 17th player on a squad that typically is only allowed to have 16 players.
Given the recent developments in the kicking competition, it also means that whoever wins the starting job is going to be on thin ice. Carlson has the upper hand (leg?) for now, but his season last year gave little reason to believe in him as a long-term answer at the position.
It is also an indictment on the questionable decision to use a draft pick, even a sixth rounder, on a kicker.
In any case, it looks like Carlson will be the kicker again in 2024 with Hale looking to develop well enough to perhaps dethrone him next year.
