With such a young roster, it’s no surprise that the Green Bay Packers have a few starting spots up for grabs as training camp begins.
A new defense and deep investments into the safety, linebacker, and offensive line rooms mean there’s no shortage of camp battles to follow. However, one of the most exciting (and most inevitable) is at kicker.
Of course, the Packers know who they want to win — the man they drafted for the job, Anders Carlson. You don’t commit draft analyst taboo and draft a kicker not to play him. But Carlson’s struggles as a rookie necessitated bringing in some competition.
Carlson will compete against veteran Greg Joseph, who Green Bay signed earlier this offseason, and James Turner, the rookie UDFA from Michigan who they claimed off of waivers in late June. It’s still early days, but after two training camp practices, what do we need to know about the kicking battle royale?
By the end of the OTAs, the Packers were still unsure about any particular kicker and were still looking to add to the group.
At the time, Carlson and Joseph dueled against Jack Podlesny, a former Georgia kicker. Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia teased in May that the team would look at all options, maybe taking those three into camp. They could also take a different group of three or maybe six. Matt LaFleur wouldn’t commit to taking three kickers into training camp in June. However, he didn’t rule it out, embracing the open competition.
There were changes between the end of OTAs and the start of training camp. They released Podlesny. The Packers attempted to sign UFL star kicker Jake Bates, who ultimately signed with the Detroit Lions. Instead, the Packers signed former Michigan kicker James Turner, who is now the third camp leg.
Turner spent his first four seasons with Louisville before making his way to Ann Arbor for a fifth college season, where he won a National Championship. Across both stops, he had an 81.3% FG percentage, making 65 out of 80 attempts, and had a 98.4% success rate with extra points. His best season was in his final year, which is always promising.
With three kickers in the mix, LaFleur is trying something a little different this year.
Rather than alternating during practices, LaFleur gives each kicker a full day of kicking during practice and then has the other two work the next day. Turner opened camp on Day 1, while Carlson and Joseph saw action on Day 2. LaFleur intends to provide an equal opportunity for all three kickers.
“We’ll rotate it like that. Somebody is going to be kicking every day. Some days it’ll be one guy, some days it’ll be two guys,” LaFleur said on Tuesday.
Turner opened camp by going 4 for 6, missing from 43 and 46 yards, both wide right. In both three-kick chances, the newcomer went 2 for 3 on each.
Tuesday provided opportunities for Joseph and Carlson and provided a different challenge. It was a rainy day, but they needed to make their kicks. Occasionally, for those unaware, football is played in weather and the rainy day provided a good challenge for both experienced kickers.
Joseph went 5 for 6 on the day, with his lone miss coming from 44 yards wide right. The sixth-year veteran has some experience playing in the elements but spent most of his career playing for warm-weather teams and in Minnesota’s indoor stadium.
However, the incumbent Carlson had the best day thus far, going absolutely perfectly on all his attempts. In non-ideal conditions, it’s a great start to see the preferred candidate have a perfect day.
Of course, it’s still early. It’s a relatively long way until the preseason starts, and consistency was Carlson’s weakness as a rookie. We know Carlson has a massive leg, and he’s shown an admirable ability to bounce back from pressure and not let his failures haunt him. He needs to consistently prove he can have these good days to earn the role he was drafted for. But opening camp with a perfect day in the rain is a great start.
Bisaccia did excellent work developing Carlson’s brother, Daniel, in Las Vegas. After his group played poorly last season, Bisaccia needs a big win, so finding the right kicker will go a long way toward regaining some faith in the veteran coordinator.
This competition won’t end until the final days of the offseason, though it won’t be surprising if the Packers cut it down to two kickers before then. Joseph has the experience, Turner had good consistency in college, and Carlson has the booming leg and the status as a draftee. Which will win out in the end?