Stepping into the limelight and replacing a legend is a tall task for any NFL player. Replacing a franchise star and coming into a role with high expectations isn’t for the faint of heart. But that’s the situation rookie kicker Anders Carlson is in.
The Green Bay Packers’ newest kicker replaces Mason Crosby, the franchise’s all-time leading scorer. Crosby has more than his fair share of game-winning kicks and earned a place in Packers history. However, his waning leg strength and high cap cost led to the Packers to turn to their next chapter.
Expectations will be high for Carlson, especially considering first-year starting quarterback Jordan Love may need to rely more heavily on special teams and defense than his predecessor. So far, Carlson is having a solid off-season. Some kicking competition in training camp is almost a certainty, and we won’t get a good look at Carlson’s true potential until actual NFL games. However, it seems like the rookie kicker has a good hold on the starting job.
Carlson was an interesting selection. The draft consensus had Carlson ranked lower than where the Packers took him, and there were many more highly ranked kickers still available. But NFL teams have better insight on prospects and go for their guys. And while Carlson’s collegiate career had ups and downs, the Packers clearly like Carlson’s upside, especially Rich Bisaccia.
He’s had an ACL injury, he’s had a shoulder injury. I know a lot of people just look at stats, 71% coming out, but I look at really the makeup of the person. I think he’s a strong mental makeup person, I think he’s been his best regardless of the circumstance. He’s been in a lot of big games, he’s kicked in a lot of different situations in the SEC. He’s kicked in many bowl games. I love his body structure, the power that he has, the ability to get stronger and the ability to self-correct I think is a little bit of a family trait right now that we’re seeing from him. So we’re excited about where he’s going to go forward.
While the Packers brought in young competition for Crosby almost every year, Carlson’s selection is particularly relevant. As a draft pick, Carlson will get a fairly long leash. Green Bay hasn’t drafted a kicker since Crosby. Green Bay doesn’t draft specialists very often, and even J.K. Scott and Hunter Bradley got three years to establish themselves before the Packers moved on. The team will apparently give him every chance to establish himself as the starting kicker.
Despite all the comments about “never closing the door” on a Crosby return, it appears to be lip service to the franchise hero. The Packers have made no move to bring Crosby back. While it could happen if Carlson really struggles in camp, Crosby’s return doesn’t seem likely.
Crosby’s experience would be valuable, of course, especially if Love needs the extra help. But Crosby’s leg strength was clearly trending downward last season. While Bisaccia and Brian Gutekunst credited injuries as a reason for the apparent decline, Crosby’s age is the bigger factor. While his nerves and experience still led to clutch moments, struggling on kickoffs and on 50-plus-yarders isn’t ideal.
The Packers have fully embraced its youth movement. Carlson may struggle as he adjusts to the NFL, but he’s just one of many players in a similar position. Kickers may incur more wrath than other positions from fans, but Carlson really isn’t in a much different spot than Jordan Love or the young receiving core. Fans will need to be patient as the team figures out who its long-term players will be.
For what it’s worth, Carlson has had a solid off-season thus far. In the mandatory minicamp practice open to the media, we got our first glimpse at Carlson as the starting kicker. He went 5/6 on the day, with his lone miss coming from 44 yards. While kicks over 50 yards were viewed as an issue for the young kicker in college, he made his 54-yarder, and all of his long attempts had plenty of leg to go even further. Carlson continued to be successful through the off-season activities. Kicking in practice is obviously different from kicking in a live situation, but the consistency and distance are promising.
“I think he’s done an outstanding job,” said Matt LaFleur. “Just becoming more consistent. He’s got a lot of leg. He’s got a big-time leg, and it’s harnessing that power and making sure it’s consistent, but he’s shown improvement throughout the offseason.”
The Packers clearly felt good enough about Carlson’s potential to release Parker White, leaving Carlson the team’s lone kicker. It would be surprising if the team didn’t sign at least some camp competition when training camp begins, but it’s a big sign of confidence in the rookie that they didn’t add anyone for OTAs.
We’ll get a better idea of how the Packers feel about Carlson through training camp and the preseason, but everything feels aligned for Carlson to be the starting kicker for Week 1. Bisaccia previously turned Anders’ brother Daniel into one of the league’s best kickers. We’ll see if Bisaccia can strike lightning again.
